A Funny Kind of Romance
by inu-furuba freak
Summary: LxJ. Lily wants nothing to do with James but James wants everything to do with her. what will happen when both of them end up as Head boy and Head girl? Only a Funny Kind of Romance... PLEASE READ!AND REVIEW! DISCLAIMER: I DONT OWN THEM BLAH BLAH BLAH
1. The Head Boy and Head Girl

**Chapter 1.**

**The Head Boy and Head Girl**

"Oh, thank gosh! We made it on time!" breathed Lily Evans as she placed her luggage into her usual compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

"Yeah, I know. We really had to run for it," replied Elizabeth Dunn who was following Lily into the compartment.

"You know, Lily, I think you ran someone over with your trolley as we passed through the barrier. Poor bloke, probably didn't see it coming," laughed Gwen, who was right behind Elizabeth.

"Ha, don't be silly. It was Liz who ran over someone," Lily retorted playfully.

"Hey, well, I tried not to run over him but he was in the way," said Elizabeth, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Well, anyways, it's good to finally be getting back to Hogwarts. I don't know if I could last another damn day with my sister Petunia. I mean, what in hell is her bloody problem?"

"Ah, Lily, well at least you have a sister."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Lily, Elizabeth, and Gwen were all on their 7th year at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry. This was their final year at Wizarding School and the girls had been through so much. What with the uprising of an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort, things weren't going too easy for witches and wizards around the world. Things were especially hard for the muggle-born magic people. So, naturally Lily wanted to prove every one of those non-muggle-borns that she was just as good as them. Sure enough the beautiful redhead with mesmerizing green eyes proved a lot of people wrong. She started off by becoming the student with highest grades in over a decade, then by becoming Head Girl. Not to mention she was pretty popular with almost the whole school, even with a few of the Slytherins. In a nutshell, Lily Evans was the perfect student.

Lily had been friends with Elizabeth and Gwen ever since their first year at Hogwarts. All three girls were a part of Gryffindor. Elizabeth had long dark brown hair and light green eyes. She was a bit of a bookworm and it was rare to see her outside. She was calm and composed but she also had a sense of adventure. This gave the group of girls the background they needed.

Next, came Gwen, who was wild and outspoken. When she wanted something, hell, she'd go out and get it. Unlike her two best friends, Gwen was the one who didn't like to plan her actions, which was the reason why she always seemed to get into a bit of trouble now and then. The ecstatic blue-eyed blonde was just what the girls would call 'The Life of the Party'. Although she was mostly a prankster Gwen also had brains.

Which always seemed to come out at the most peculiar time.

So together the girls became know as the Intellegents. Over ruling the school with their brains, beauty, and wits.

"Oy, Lily, how are things going with that Potter boy? Is the jerk still bothering you?" asked Gwen curiously. The trio had finally settled in and were now taking the time to relax until they reached Hogsmead Station.

"Argh! Don't even say his name! Gosh, it's amazing at how arrogant that boy is! Do you know how many owls he sent me over the summer?!"

"No, how many?" Elizabeth asked, not really paying attention but still participating in the conversation.

"He sent me over 50! Can you believe him?! Gosh, I swear, if he even tries to talk

to-"

"Hello, Evans!"

"Uh, oh," muttered Gwen.

"Speak of the devil," said Elizabeth, turning her head to where the voice came from. There, in front of the compartment door stood a handsome boy with looks to die for. He had hazel eyes and messy jet-black hair.

"Damn it, please don't tell me its him," mouthed Lily to Elizabeth.

"Well dear, I could say it's not him, but I'd be lying." Elizabeth whispered.

"Hey Evans, your looking beautiful today," beamed James Potter.

"Hmph," replied Lily under her breath, still not daring to turn around towards the compartment door.

"Pardon?" asked James politely. He looked over to Gwen, who just shrugged at him and busied herself with a book about Quidditch.

Gaining control of herself, Lily put on her fakest smile and turned to face James to ask him why he was there.

"Oh, well, we have a meeting, you know, with the Prefects and Dumbledor. Just to let you know, Evans, you're a bit late already."

"Huh? What?! Oh, Damn! The meeting! I totally forgot. And how did you know?!" Lily asked franticly, shooting an angry glance at James. At the same time clearly not noticing James' Head Boy badge that was pinned on to his muggle shirt.

"Well, Evans, it seems I've been picked for Head Boy," he said, pointing to his badge.

Lily's eyes seemed to have popped out of her head. _'James just can't be Head_ _Boy. That would be absurd,'_ she thought as she placed her hands over her face and called out for Elizabeth.

"Yes, Lil?"

"Uh…please tell me this isn't true," she mumbled, already knowing the answer.

"Sorry Lily, but Potter _is_ Head Boy," she replied, sympathetically.

Lily moaned then removed her hands from her face.

"Well, hey! I can't be that bad, Evans," James grinned as he stepped inside the compartment and closed the door behind him. Just as he was about to approach the angered Lily, a loud voice was heard from the corridor.

"JAMES! HEY MATE! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Not long afterwards, someone slid the compartment door open and peeked their head inside.

"Oy! There you are. Been looking all over for you, Prongs," said a handsome boy by the name of Sirius Black.

"I though you didn't make it on the train after that girl ran you over with a tro- oh, why hello there Lilzgwe," he said, noticing the three girls that James was with.

"What did you just day?" asked Lily; looking very displeased that Sirius had joined their group.

"Oh, well I didn't feel like saying each of your names, so, I just ran them all together," said Sirius innocently. Gwen giggled at this.

"Yeah, well anyways, James, Dumbledore is searching for you. Said that they're waiting for the two of you so that they can start their boring meeting."

"Oh, yeah. Tell them the Head Boy and Girl," he eyed Lily, "are on their way."

"Yeah, yeah, just go already, before the Headmaster has a fit," said Sirius, waving a hand at them to go on. Sirius now had his full attention on Elizabeth, who looked just as annoyed as Lily.

"Now come along, Evans," James said, grabbing Lily by the arm and dragging her out of the compartment. She yelped as his strong hand gently tugged at her, sending a slight shiver down her back. _'Wow, he really does look cute wearing those muggle_ _clothes,'_ she though. _'No, wait! What the hell am I thinking?!'_ she asked herself silently, coming back to reality. _'Oh God, I'm just going to completely ignore that I was thinking that.'_

They reached a compartment in the front of the train. James now had a large red hand mark on his face because he wouldn't let go of Lily's arm. She ignored him as she slid open the door to the compartment. Inside was a large tray of snacks in the middle of a large room. It amazed Lily at how small it looked from the outside, and then she remembered that this was the wizarding world.

After looking around the room she noticed that everyone was staring at her, including Professor Dumbledore.

"Hello, Miss Evans. Would you kindly take a seat as we begin our meeting?" said the aged man with a slight smile.

"Oh…yeah, sorry I'm late," she murmured, taking a seat next to a Hufflepuff Prefect. James sat on the right of Lily, giving her a little wink. She shrugged it off and waited for the Headmaster to begin.

James Potter sighed sadly as he glanced at Lily Evans. It had already been three years that he'd had his eye on the redhead and she hadn't even considered his pleas for her to go out with him.

James had barely been listening throughout the whole meeting until Professor Dumbledore dismissed everyone.

"Hey Potter, where do you think you're going?" hissed Lily. "Professor Dumbledore needs to speak with us." Lily then grabbed James by the neck of his shirt and pulled him back inside.

"Damn it, Evans. Don't you think you should be a little less aggressive?" said James heatedly.

"Just sit and be quiet. He wants us to wait for a moment." Lily pushed him to a seat before taking her own.

They waited for a couple of minutes in silence. James didn't like the stiffness of the room so he decided that small talk would be a good icebreaker.

"So, did you get any of my letters?" he asked. Clearly this was the wrong thing to ask because Lily began to burst out with insults.

"Potter! I swear, if you even mess this up for me this year I'll-," but whatever Lily was going to say was interrupted by a small "ahem".

The two teenagers turned to where the noise came from and saw Professor Dumbledore making his way to a seat. They watched as he settled his twinkling blue eyes on them, giving James a warm feeling of home.

"First of all, I would like to say welcome to your final year at Hogwarts. You two have been chosen as the Heads of your school and I am sure that you will do a magnificent job at guiding your fellow students through the year. Now as being the Head Boy and Girl you will now be recommended to stay in Head Person's Dormitories. Which means you must live in the same quarters. The Head's Dormitory shares a common room as well as a bathroom. I hope that you will enjoy your new rooms and I do hope that you will confide in any of the Professors, myself included, if anything needs to be sorted out."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he looked upon the faces of James and Lily. They both had no idea that they would be sharing their living areas with one another. For James, this was exactly the chance he had been waiting for. As for Lily, she wasn't too thrilled at having to be around James for a long period of time.

"Umm…but Professor, what if we would prefer to live in our old dormitories?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, Miss Evans, I feel that as you are Head Girl, it would be best to live in your new quarters. But, if you feel that you would prefer to stay in the Gryffindor Dormitory then I don't see why there would be a problem. Although, its not as though your new dormitory would be far from your old one, being as it is always close to the Head's old dormitory no matter what house they come from."

"Oh, I see. Well, could I keep my options open? Could I just have a few days to see if I'd like it or not and then make up my mind?"

"Yes, of course, as long as you are comfortable with your surroundings. As goes for you, Mr. Potter.

James nodded.

"Oh, and this is the compartment for the both of you. So, I might suggest that you invite your friends to join you," said Dumbledore with a gleam in his eyes. "Now then, if there is nothing more to ask of me, I'll be on my way."

Giving them a slight nod, he pulled out an old glove from inside his robes and muttered something under his breath. The glove gave off a slight glow then returned to its original state. Dumbledore then placed a finger inside the glove and was gone in an instant. Leaving James and Lily by themselves once again.

"Hm, I was wondering how he was going to get back to Hogwarts." Lily thought out loud.

"Wha? Couldn't he just Apparate?"

Lily snorted at his answer.

"No, you can't Apparate or Disapparate on Hogwarts grounds. Honestly, haven't you read _Hogwart: A History_?"

"Sorry, it was just a question. Don't have to bit my bloody head off, Evans," said James, pretending to be angry.

"Anyways, I'm going back to my compartment. I can't stand being near you."

Lily turned towards the door to let herself out.

"Wait!" shouted James as he grabbed Lily's arm.

"What?" she asked, heatedly.

"Why not call your friends over here? Hell, this place is big enough to fit five griffins. Come on, Lily," he pleaded.

Lily was taken aback.

James had never called her by her first name before.

"Come on. You know you want to hang out with me," he teased.

"Please, Potter. Can you be any thicker then you are now?" retorted Lily; rolling her eyes.

"Hm…I probably could, but let's not get into that."

Smirked James as Lily sighed dramatically. Turning away from James, she walked back to where her friends were. James looked at her longingly, and then called for her to wait for him. She ignored him and walked on, swaying her hips almost teasingly from side to side.

_'Blimey, she's hot when she's angry,'_ thought James. After a few minutes of just standing in the middle of the corridor, he shook himself out of his thoughts and followed the girl of his dreams.


	2. Dangerous Muggle Games and Secret Plans

_**Hello everyone! **_

_**I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of A Funny Kind of Romance. This is the very first fanfic that I've put up so I hope its good. XD ok well here it goes…Chapter 2!!!! ENJOY!**_

**Chapter 2.**

**Dangerous Muggle Games and Secret Plans**

Lily wasn't too frustrated anymore when she reached the door to her compartment. She was so relieved that James hadn't followed her; he was really getting on her nerves. _**Really**_.

_'God, please help me get through this year without killing James Potter,'_ she thought silently. This year was going to be harder than she thought.

Taking a deep breath, Lily slid open the compartment door to find the room packed with people.

Inside was Gwen playing Exploding Snap on the floor with Sirius, and Elizabeth talking intensely with a boy known as Remus Lupin.

Remus was just as good looking as James and Sirius but was very polite and well mannered... most of the time. Lily had taken a liking to Remus because he was different from his two best friends. For the record, he was a good person to talk to when he wasn't hanging out with the rest of the Marauders.

As Lily entered the compartment she noticed another boy in the corner of the room, eating a large bar of chocolate. She knew him as Peter Pettigrew. Lily didn't know much about Peter; only that he was rarely seen away from the three boys.

"Oh, look! It's Lily!" announced Gwen.

"Hey, Lily, where's James?" asked Sirius anxiously.

"Um…I dunno. I lost him on the way over here… By the way, why are you three here?" she asked, speaking to the boys.

"Well, we decided it would be fun to all gather in one compartment," said Gwen.

"But, this was suppose to be _our_ compartment. Now it's too crowded," whined Lily.

"Hello, Lily. Sorry to interrupt, but if you'd like, we can find an other compartment," said Remus politely.

"Oh, hello, Remus. I didn't mean to sound rude but it's just th- AH!"

"What was that dear?" questioned Elizabeth, not noticing that James had snuck up behind Lily and grabbed her by the waist.

"Damn you, POTTER!" she screamed before turning to chase after James in the train's hallway.

The compartment went quiet for a while.

"Oh, I guess they won't be back for a while," said Remus, breaking the akward silence.

"Hey! How about a game?!" asked Sirius, grinning. The girls all agreed, not noticing the mischievous look Sirius had on his face.

It took Lily a good 5 seconds to catch James. She had cornered him and began to whack him on the head with a newspaper she found lying on the floor. Once she was satisfied, she turned around to go back to the compartment.

"Hey, Evans! You're going to pay for that!" James threatened. At that moment, she heard running and knew that James was coming after her. Lily ran with all her might, almost bumping into a crowd of confused first years.

Lily was pretty fast, but James was right on her tail. Finally she reached her compartment, opened the door and slammed it shut. When she turned around she saw the most peculiar sight.

In the middle of the room, on the floor were Sirius, Elizabeth, and Gwen, playing Twister. Elizabeth had her body in a back bend with Sirius' body over her legs and Gwen with her arms over Sirius' chest. Lily thought that with one more move, Gwen would come crashing down on everyone.

"Ok, Sirius, its your turn. Right hand on red," laughed Remus.

"Damn! I can't move with Liz in the way," complained Sirius.

"Hell, it wasn't my fault that I have to do a cheerleading stunt! Besides, you were the one who suggested it!" retorted Elizabeth, straining her neck over to get a good look at Sirius.

"Ok! I think I got-" Before they knew it with a loud ouch, Sirius fell over, bringing both girls down with him.

"Hey, Evans! Open the door!!" interrupted James as he pulled it open with difficulty.

"Ah, Lily's back!" said Gwen, trying to untangle herself from the twisted bodies.

"Oh! Hey, Lils. Back so soon? And where's POTT- oh, there he is," said Elizabeth, pushing Sirius off of her.

"Hey, Prongs, too bad you missed the game. Maybe you two can joining us in the next round!"

"NO!" said Gwen and Elizabeth in unison. They didn't think it would be safe to play that muggle game again.

"I mean, let's relax for a while," said Elizabeth, rubbing her back. She then looked around to find an empty seat but to no avail. "Hm, well, uh, I guess I'll sit on the floor," she said as an after thought.

"Or you can sit on me, Liz," Sirius suggested, patting his lap and winking at her.

"I'll pass, thanks," she replied, rolling her eyes and settling herself on the floor next to Remus. Remus was occupied with a book and wasn't paying attention anymore.

"Oy! Let's all go to the Head Compartment," James suggested.

"You two have your own compartment?" asked Gwen.

"Yeah, and it's big enough to fit all of us. Come one, let's move your crap over there," said James, grabbing Lily's bags as he headed out the corridor.

"Hey! Where do you think your going with my bags?" Lily hastily pulled her luggage from James' grip and waited for Gwen and Elizabeth to get their belongings.

"Hey, hurry up, Padfoot!" said Sirius as he followed the girls to the new compartment.

"Hold up! I'm waiting for Mooney and Wormtail." James sighed dramatically and waited for his friends, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Hey, Lils, I dunno about you, but does this compartment look smaller from the outside?" Gwen asked, setting her bags down under a seat. She was commenting on the new compartment that they were in.

"No, it's not you. I thought that too," Lily replied.

"Blimey, Liz! What the hell are you carrying in that thing? Bricks?!" Sirius asked, shoving Elizabeth's large trunk next to Gwen's.

"No…more like books," replied Elizabeth, half-heartedly.

"Ha! Then you'd be perfect for Remus," James added.

Elizabeth and Remus both blushed at the comment.

"Anyways, how was your summer, Gwen?" Lily asked as she shoved her bags in the storage above her seat.

"Hmm…well Lils, it was a hell of a time! My parents took me to Paris with them and I got to meet the band Jade. You know, that new group that plays "Love Spell." Anyways, it was really fun!"

"You got to meet them?" asked Sirius.

"Hey, I heard that the lead singer is from America," said Elizabeth.

"My aunt lives in America," squealed Peter out of no where.

"Wormtail! I thought you got lost on your way over here," teased James.

"N-no," was Peter's reply.

"Hey, lighten up, Peter. Here, have a cookie," said Sirius, throwing Peter a cookie that was on a tray at the side of his seat. Peter made a grab for it, but it ended up falling to the floor.

"Really, Wormtail. You need to practice on your reflexes," laughed James. Lily eyed him evilly. It annoyed her when James made fun of people.

"What about you, Liz? How was your summer?" Gwen asked excitedtly.

"All I did was go to my auntie's house and watch moving pictures on a thing called a Bellyvision…or something like that," she said, absent mindedly.

"Bellyvision? Liz, don't you mean television?" asked Lily curiously.

"Oh…so that's what my aunt meant. Heh, poor dear, probably thought I was going crazy. She's muggle you know," giggled Elizabeth.

Everyone stared at her oddly.

"Is she ok?" Sirius asked James in a whisper as they both looked at Elizabeth in confusion.

"I dunno," James shrugged.

"O-K. So, um…what next? I'm getting bored," said Sirius.

"We're almost at the station so why not stare at each other like lunatics and wait for the train to stop," Elizabeth suggested.

"Ok, now she's starting to talk like a mad woman," said James loudly.

"Soooorrrie, I was only trying to make things interesting. Plus, I'm getting hyper with all those chocolate frogs I had a few minutes ago."

"No, Liz…I don't think it was the chocolate," Lily giggled.

The minutes flew by as the Marauders and the Intellegents talked about things they expected for the upcoming school year and of events from their summer. They were all interested in the conversation that they barely noticed the train come to a slow stop in Hogsmead Station.

"Ok, then I guess we have to go and make sure no one does anything stupid," Lily said, glancing quickly at James, who looked back at her with an innocent smirk on his gorgeous face. He ran his hand through his hair, making Lily irritated.

Turning away from James, Lily said her good byes and walked out of the room. James stayed behind for a while to talk to the Marauders. They all gathered around in the compartment after the two girls left.

"Are we still up for it?" asked an anxious Sirius.

"Of course we are…this is our big chance and now would be the only time we can do it," James explained intensely.

"Yes, I agree with James. Today is our only chance," said Remus as he nodded in agreement.

"Ok, then. Let's go for it!" said Sirius; his brown eyes lighting up as if Christmas was coming early. James gave a smirk of his own and Remus nodded. As for Peter, he was totally lost as to what his friends were up to.

**_So, what did you all think?!! You all want more?! Well do ya? Huh? huh?! Well first you gotta click that review button to let me know what you all thought of this chapter!! Thanks everyone!!! _**


	3. The Sorting Hat's Song

**_Hi Everyone!! Just wanted to let you all know that I'm adding the third chapter a little earlier then I originally planned but a friend of mine begged me to do it. So here it is! Oh! And thanks to those of you who reviewed my last two chapters! I really appreciate your kind words. And to those of you who haven't reviewed….What are you waiting for?! Haha jk, do what you wish. Thanks for reading it anyway. One more thing, I'm up for constructive criticisms but Please NO Flames!! If you are a writer, you know what I mean!!! _**

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**Chapter 3. The Sorting Hat's Song**

The sun was beginning to set as Lily ushered all of the students into the Great Hall. It was a little difficult considering that she was only one person trying to get everyone to listen to her. Losing her patience, she desperately looked around for any signs of the boy with messy black hair.

Sure enough, she spotted James, mingling with a few 6th year Ravenclaw girls. Lily rolled her eyes, not realizing that she was staring at him. James, noticing her stares, flashed her his trademark smile and excused himself from the group of pretty girls.

He walked toward Lily in a cool '_hey-look-at-me-I'm-sexy'_ sort of way. This only made Lily despise him even more.

"Hey, Evans. Need any help?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Yes!" she spat out. "We need everyone to settle down."

"Oh, is that all? Alright then, just stand back and watch the master work," he said, raising he sleeves to is elbows. James then took a deep breath and whistled to the noisy crowd. Once he caught their attention, he ordered them to sit down at their House Tables and be quiet.

For a few seconds no one moved; then slowly the crowd started to separate into groups and sit down.

Lily looked at James disbelievingly.

_'How in hell did he do that?'_ she thought in disbelief.

"Ok, Evans, if that's all, then I'm going to find a seat myself. You want to join me?" James asked politely.

Lily was still in a state of shock.

"Um…no that's ok. I'm waiting for Liz and Gwen," she responded.

"Yeah, well, they're already sitting over there," he pointed out, looking towards the Gryfindor table.

"Ok…fine. Let's go sit with them," she relied irritably.

When Lily and James reached the Gryffindor table they found that their friends had saved them a seat.

"Hey, guys," said Lily, taking a seat between Gwen and Elizabeth.

"Hello again, Lily," replied Elizabeth.

"Hey. It's about time you got here," Gwen teased.

"Hi there, Lils," Sirius budded in.

It seemed that the Marauders had decided to join the girls for dinner.

"Oy, Sirius. Where did Wormtail run off to?" James asked as he took a seat between Sirius and Remus.

"Heh, I dunno. Probably ran off to look for some food."

"But dinner is about to start. Couldn't he just wait?" Elizabeth asked suspiciously.

"Beats me!" Sirius replied half heartedly, at the same time he turned to wink at James.

Lily noticed the wink and instantly knew that the boys were up to something.

_'Oh, they better not do anything stupid!!'_ she mentally screamed.

"Lily, are you alright?" asked Elizabeth, putting the back of her hand to Lily's forehead as if to check her temperature.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, taking Elizabeth's hand away from her face.

"Ok, just checking because you're starting to look a little pale."

"I just need food that's all."

"Yeah, I certainly need food as well. All I had was breakfast and a few cookies today."

"Why didn't you get anything off the trolley on the way over here, James?"

"Because, I was too distracted with Evans' beautiful looks," sneered James boyishly.

"Potter, don't start with me. I already have a headache with you just talking," moaned Lily as she massaged her temples.

"By the way, Evans, may I ask you something?" asked James.

"No!" she replied a little too quickly.

"Will you go out with me?"

"I thought she said not to ask her anything," Elizabeth sighed. She eyed James, looking a bit annoyed. James only gave Elizabeth a little grin, and then turned back to Lily, who still hadn't answered James' question.

"So, how about it, Evans?" he pressed.

"Argh! How many times must I tell you?! The answer will always be **NO**!" she growled through clenched teeth. _'Damn, just when I think he's a tad bit decent he has to go and ruin it,"_ Lily thought.

"Oh, come one, Evans. Why won't you go out with me?" James whined.

"Because you're obnoxious. That's why."

"Hm…is that all? I always thought it was because he is an arrogant, bullying toe rag," mocked Sirius.

"Shut it, Sirius!"

"Ho, ho, ho, is Lilikins getting upset?"

"Sirius. I really think you should stop. She might explode," Remus said as he gave a grin.

"Hey, yeah, Padfoot. Remember when I bugged her when she was already upset and she whacked me with a dictionary?" As James said this, his brows frowned, remembering that event.

"Heh, that bump on your forehead was humongous until Madam Pomfrey got rid of it," barked Sirius.

"Lily, may I ask you something?" Remus said sheepishly.

"You already have, Remus, but go ahead and ask me your real question."

"Right, well…why do you always hit James on his head?"

"Ha! That's easy, Remus," Gwen cut it. "Lily does that so that maybe she can knock some sense in that idiotic brain of his. And here I thought you were bright," Gwen teased.

"Hey, I resent that! It takes an idiot to do cool things. Hell, that's why it's cool!" James retorted.

"You really are stupid sometimes."

"Why thank you, Gwen."

"Yeah, no problem, James."

"Ok, Ok…everyone be quiet, please. The Sorting is about to begin," Remus pointed out as Professor McGonagall set down a three-legged stool and an old wizard's hat in front of the front of the Great Hall.

After she set the hat on top of the stool, she stepped away from it to listen to the hat's song. Now, usually once the hat is placed on the stool it starts its introduction to the first years, but that didn't happen. The hat didn't even open it's seam to speak or anything. It just…sat there, as normal as any other hat could be. For about twenty minutes the whole hall was in silence until the students started to get restless.

James leaned close to Sirius and whispered something, then Sirius nodded to Remus who nodded back.

Lily, who was trying to figure out what the boys were up to, decided to keep an eye on them. At that moment, Remus took out his wand and pointed it to the Sorting Hat, but no one noticed it because the hat's seam opened and it began its song at last.

_For those of you who are new here_

_And have not heard my song,_

_You'll learn that what I say is true_

_Even if you think I'm wrong._

_For I am the Sorting Hat,_

_A hat of great taste._

_I can tell you off the bat_

_That Gryffindor is the better place._

_Yes, there is Hufflepuff_

_Where loyalty and justice is best_

_And Ravenclaw is where you would go_

_If your mind is never at rest._

_Next, would be Slytherin,_

_Where the folk there are not too nice._

_They really are quite thick _

_When it comes to thinking they are wise._

On and on the hat sang insults to the Slytherins. Then at long last the hat rounded off the song with a loud 'bang' and a burst of smoke appeared, as the Slytherins were met with a gigantic bucket of toad slime over their heads. In that instant, the Slytherins were covered in the gooey substance, which reeked of dead fish and of course toads.

Everyone was in shock.

That is everyone but the Marauders and Professor Dumbledore, who was eyeing the boys with a hint of amusement on his aged faced. Immediately, Dumbledore rose from his seat to get rid of the mess that was all over the outraged Slytherins. The hall was in an uproar, but it soon settled with one swift motion from the Headmaster.

By now Lily was sure that the boys were the ones who pulled the prank. Who else would it have been in the first place? It was so obvious by the smug looks they were wearing.

The look that James had in his eyes was just so infuriating. Lily could feel the heat rise up in her face and if it were possible, her eyes would be throwing daggers at him at this very moment. But before Lily could say anything, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and started to call all the first years to be sorted.

The first person was a boy by the name of Jake Andolf, who became a Ravenclaw. Then came a pretty girl named Janice Burn, who was named the first Gryffindor. The list went on until at long last one boy was left.

"Zeal, Mark," said the stern looking witch. The boy then walked to the stool and waited for the hat to place him in a house. As Lily looked at the boy, she couldn't help but think that he looked oddly familiar.

After a few seconds, the Sorting Hat opened its seam to speak.

"Sly-Gryffindor!"

"Hey, did you hear that? He was gonna be placed in Slytherin," Gwen whispered in Lily's ear.

"I guess the prank really scared him off from the Slytherin house," Lily replied, frowning.

"Ha, you bet," squeaked Peter form behind Remus.

"Oh, hello, Peter," whispered Remus.

The other two Marauders turned to where Peter was sitting and gave him a small grin. It was he who had put a silencing spell on the hat before it began to sing.

"Oh, god, I'm starving! Why doesn't Dumbledore just give us his usual welcome back and let us eat?" asked a 7th year Ravenclaw from behind James.

"I dunno," said James, smiling broadly.

"Ah, look there, he's standing."

As usual, Dumbledore gave his yearly welcome back-to-school warnings then he sat down and at that moment, food appeared on the plates in front of them.

"Yay! FOOD!" cried out Gwen as she grabbed the mashed potatoes and smothered them on her plate.

Sirius watched.

"Oh, I take it that you've never seen her eat before," Elizabeth grinned.

"Hell no! I think she might even eat more then me," said Sirius, taking large amounts of everything around him, then shoving a huge spoon full of kidney pie in his mouth. "Then again, maybe not," he said as an after thought.

"Eww, Sirius! Don't talk with your mouth full," Gwen said even though she too had food in her mouth.

"We really should teach our Gwen here some manners," Elizabeth teased, giving Gwen a slight shove with her elbow. Lily giggled a bit then started on her kidney pie.

After about two plates of food and three scoops of ice cream, Lily knew she was stuffed and it was time to go to bed. Getting ready to go and head to her old dormitory, she heard a voice call her.

"Miss Evans, Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall as she approached the two teenagers.

"Oh, hello, Professor."

"What? Who was calling me? Oh…oops…hello, Professor."

"Hello, now, if you two are ready, I will show you to your new rooms," said the older witch, sternly.

"Oh, yes, of course, Professor," Lily said politely.

"Yeah, ok, lets go."

"Hey, James, where are you going?" asked Sirius.

"Yeah, Lils, where are you going?" Gwen asked as well.

"Um…I have to go to my dorm. I guess I'll see you guys later," Lily replied sadly.

"Aww…ok g'night you two," said Elizabeth, yawning.

"Night everyone," said Lily as she turn to Professor McGonagall.

"Alright, follow me," said McGonagall.

They seemed to have been going towards Gryffindor Tower until they reached a dead end corridor. Lily looked around; she had only been down this corridor once and thought it as another one of those halls that like to get you lost on purpose. But that obviously wasn't the case with this one.

"Ok, now pay attention. I will only explain this once," said McGonagall. She had taken her wand out and was facing the dead end. Lily watched carefully as the older witch waved her wand tree times in a circular motion then said, "Cheery Fairies." Within a few seconds a silver door appeared and Professor McGonagall gestured for them to go inside.

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**_Ok, well there was the third chappie!! Hope you all are getting into it more. Just a heads up on the next chapter, there will probably be some sort of flirting going on…hehe anyway… Don't forget to review, please!!! THANKS FOR READING!!!_**


	4. Hints of Romance but Not Quite

_**Hey!!! Here is chapter 4!!! Hope you all enjoy it!!! **_

**Chapter 4**

**Hints of Romance…But Not Quite**

James was in awe when he stepped inside the Common Room of his new dormitory. He had never seen anything so-

"Beautiful," Lily gasped.

"Wow…it's really big too," he said, looking around the entire place.

"Yes, well, this is the Common Room and off to the left is Potter's room and to the right is Evans' room. You'll notice that in the middle is a door. This leads to the washroom. You each have your own toilets in your separate rooms," Professor McGonagall pointed out. "Your belongings have already been placed there. One more thing, there is a secret passage way to the Gryffindor Common Room, but you must find it for yourself before Christmas or else it will close itself off completely. If you need anything, contact any of the professors or myself. Good night."

"Good night," replied the two.

At that, Professor McGonagall left the room.

"Oh my, this is amazing!" said Lily, making her way towards her room, leaving James to explore the common room on his own.

It was a spectacular site. The walls were a deep red, lined with paintings of past Head boys and girls. There were fluffy couches the color of gold and in the far corner was a rich mahogany table with cushioned chairs. To the right of the place, was a wall with a large bookcase filled with books and books…and books. On the left was a giant fireplace. The fireplace was lit and it gave the common room a very homey feeling.

James had just finished looking around the room when he decided to try and figure out where the secret passage would be. But before he could do anything he heard a loud scream.

"Lily?!" he called out, rushing to the middle door where he last saw her go to. "Evans, what's wrong? Are you- o-k?" he almost whispered his last few words.

Walking into the bathroom, James gave out a gasp.

In the room was the biggest looking bathroom he had ever seen. It was even bigger than the prefect bathroom he thought. The walls were a pure white with paintings of landscapes and flowers of all sorts were placed all around the room. The bathtub was big enough to swim in if James wanted to.

This whole room was so beautiful it made the common room look dull with its comfy couches and it's huge fireplace.

"Hey, shotgun! I bathe first!" shouted Lily.

James grinned. "Nah uh, I'm going first."

"Not if I can help it," Lily replied, her eyes holding a little mischief in them.

"Oh, come on, Evans! Do you really want me to fight you for it?"

"Give me a break, Potter. You know that I can _always_ kick your behind."

"We'll just see about that," said James as he lunged towards Lily. He grabbed her by the waist and pushed her against the wall. All of a sudden he started to tickle her.

"No, Potter! Stop!" she laughed.

"So, what were you saying about kicking my ass?" he said playfully.

"No- I- Was- Only- Kidding! Just Stop!!" she gasped between her fit of giggles.

"I'll only stop if you kiss me," he replied, staring straight into Lily's emerald green eyes.

"HELL…NO! YOU'LL…NEVER…MAKE ME, POTTER!!!!" Lily yelled.

By now, James could tell that Lily needed to breathe so he reluctantly stopped his tickling attack on her. She was red in the face and her breathing was fast from all the laughter, but he still thought she looked beautiful.

Taking one of his hands, he brushed a strand of hair from her face. Oh, how much he wanted to be with her. How much he wished that she would like him. All he wanted to do was confess his love for her but he didn't think he could take that kind of rejection. It was already bad enough that she didn't even want to be his friend, let alone love him.

He sighed softly, still gazing into her eyes, her warm breath on his face.

"Umm…well…I guess I'll let you take a bath first…I'm really sleepy now. Good night, Evans," he mumbled awkwardly, before turning to leave. _'What the hell did I just do? Am I just walking away from an opportunity to kiss Lily?'_ he mentally slapped himself for turning down such a good opportunity. _'There must be something_ _seriously wrong with me!'_

'_No, there isn't. You love her and you don't want to hurt_ _her,'_ said a little voice in his head. _'Yeah, I guess your right,'_ he agreed, going to his new room and flopping on the humongous bed, not bothering to change into his pajamas.

He fell asleep before he even took the time to notice a pair of green eyes that had secretly followed him into the room.

Lily looked at the sleeping boy as he lay comfortably on his new bed. There was just something about him that had changed over the summer. Something that made Lily want to know him better. _'Know him better?! Why would I want to do that?! He's just an arrogant git! There is_ _no reason for me to want to get to know him,'_ she thought to herself. _'But is that really_ _true? Do you really want to go on without at least giving him a chance?'_ asked her conscience. _'No, I guess not," _she sighed_. " I should at least try to become friends with_ _him,'_ Lily thought for a while.

After a few seconds she walked out of James' room and went to take the bath that she had wanted for the past half hour.

_**Ok so there it was…the little bit of fluff that I promised…or semi-promised. Tell me what you think!!! Thanks for reading!!!!! AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW:D SEE YOU ALL NEXT TIME!!!!!**_

**_p.s. I just want to thank all of those who have reviewed!!! (In no particular order) Ghostwriter626, Silver Moonlight-81, hermy permy (I love your fic by the way :D), charcoal711, waitingforjudgement, Diana, and last but not least….Anonymous Once again THANKS GUYS AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR REVIEWS!!!! _**


	5. Early Morning Arguments and Sleepwalking

**_Hi everyone! sorry for the wait. i've been busy with writing scholarship essays and stuff so i hadn't had the time to do anything until now. so what did you all think of the last chapter? getting good or what? yeah i'm trying my best hehe...i have another question for everyone: Has anyone seen the previews to the new harry potter movie?!! if you have then you'll notice that harry's hair is shorter now... i hate harry's new hair cut...ABSOLUTELY HATE IT!!! GRRR!...ah, oh well...back to the story, with out further adu:_**

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**Chapter 5. **

**Early Morning Arguments and Something about Sleepwalking**

"Hey, Evans! Wake up!" James shouted from outside Lily's door.

Lily moaned.

"What does he want now?" she mumbled to herself, rolling over the gigantic soft bed and slipping on a white robe that had the letter 'L' embroidered in green on it.

"What is it, Potter?" she asked, the door barely opened for her to see James with one eye.

"Evans, get up. Breakfast time!" he said, poking his head through the door.

"Argh! I'm going back to bed. It's only…Damn it…5:30a.m! Why are you up so early?! she asked, her face in an angry frown.

"I always get up this early on the first day of school. It's a Marauder thing," he said matter-of-factly. "But it's just for today."

"Oh," she yawned.

"Yeah, well, hurry up and get dressed," James pressed, as he tried to open Lily's door more so that he could get inside.

"No, I'm going back to sleep," she replied, weakly pushing James out of her room.

"No, your _not _going back to sleep. You're going with me to breakfast," he insisted rather forcefully. Lily didn't take kindly to his tone of voice so she refused even more.

"_No_, I'm _not_ going with you to breakfast."

"_Yes_, you _are_."

"No. I'm NOT!"

"Yes. You ARE!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!

"YES!"

"NO!…wait! What? Why did I just say no?" James asked puzzled.

"Because I'm _NOT_ going with you. It's way too early. Just go and take one of those ditsy sluts that fawn over you all the time. I'm sure they would like to go," she said with venom dripping from her voice.

"Hey, that hurt," said James in a fake sad tone.

"No, it didn't. You're just being a baby."

"Heh, I'll be _your_ baby," James retorted haughtily, his eyebrow raised in a suggestive way.

"Hmph, in your dreams, Potter! Now if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed!" Lily shouted, getting tired of his arrogance so early in the morning; she soon closed the door in his face.

"Evans! _Pleeeaaase_ go with me!" James whined pathetically.

"I said NO, Potter, and I _mean_ NO!" she yelled from the other side of the door.

"PLEEEEEEEAAAASE?"

"Nuh uh, not even if you gave me a 100 million pounds."

"Pounds?? Isn't that muggle money? Why would I have muggle money?"

"Just go away or else I'll hex you into next Thursday! JUST-LET-ME-SLEEP!"

"Fine, fine," James muttered under his breath before he gave up and stomped out of the Common Room all the way to the Great Hall.

James entered the Great Hall hoping to find the Marauders. Sure enough there they were, sitting at the end of Gryffindor table. Sirius looked half asleep and was serving, or more like spilling, large amounts of porridge onto his bowl. Next to him was Remus, who was looking at Peter's new class schedule.

"G'morning, guys," James greeted not too cheerfully.

"Good Morning," the boys replied.

"Sit here," said Sirius, now suddenly awake and scooting over to give James a space to sit.

"Did you sleep well?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, I slept ok."

"How was your first night with Lily?"

"Yeah, Prongs. Did anything happen?" Sirius teased.

"No, nothing happened and I don't expect anything to happen," James said miserably.

"Why do you say that, Prongs?" asked Sirius.

"I dunno," replied James, serving himself some eggs and bacon. "I just don't think anything's gonna happen."

"James Harry Potter! Are you feeling alright?" Remus asked suddenly, looking at his friend in disbelief.

"Yeah, I'm feelin' alright. Why do you ask Moony?" James responded, now putting more eggs and bacon on his plate. He didn't seem to notice the large amount of food that was beginning to fall onto the table.

"Well, it's not like you to just give up so easily," Remus replied simply. "I don't think your trying hard enough."

"Yeah, mate, **try harder**! I mean if you really like Lily then show her," Sirius added expertly.

"How?" asked James skeptically, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Well, first, you need to be more considerate of her feelings. For example, you know already that she doesn't like for you do that thing with your hair," said Remus matter-of-factly.

"What thing?" he asked, again running his hand though his hair.

"That thing," Sirius said, nodding to James' movement and then mimicking the same motion but exaggerating it more.

"Oh…yeah, that. But I can't help it. It just happens when I'm not even thinking or when I'm trying to think."

"At least try to keep it to a minimum," Remus said.

"Ok, I'll try," he murmured back in annoyance.

"Now, next would be your Flirting Technique."

"My 'Flirting Technique'? What's wrong with that?!" James asked, outraged that Remus would even question his 'technique'.

"Hey, yeah, Moony," said Sirius, turning to Remus suddenly. "What's wrong with Prongs' technique? He always gets the girls, even when he's not trying. Besides, I don't see _your_ technique working well," said Sirius, half joking- half serious. Sirius had now been eyeing some pretty Hufflepuff 7-year girls; the pretty girls noticed his stares and giggled at the attention. Sirius only smirked and then reluctantly returned to his friend's conversation.

Remus shot Sirius a dirty look then resumed with his explanation concerning Lily.

"Well, for your information, there are quite a lot of girls that like me, but let's not get into that. What I'm trying to say is that if James wants Lily to look at him differently, then he should try a different approach. From what I can tell, Lily doesn't seem to like the loud, egoistic type. No offence James," Remus added quickly, then continued to speak. "She's more of a calm person compared to you, Prongs. So it would make sense that she would connect more with a person who is more like her. Just look at the boys she's gone out with. Remember Jacob Stans? He was calm and composed, or what about that Ravenclaw, Daniel was it? He was like that too. She obviously likes _mature_ guys."

"So, what are you saying?" James asked curiously, trying to figure out where Moony was going with this. James could be really thick headed when he wanted to.

"I'm saying that you need to grow up a little," Remus said as if talking to a three year old.

"What?!" asked James, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Moony's gone mad!" laughed Sirius.

"No, I haven't!"

"Yes, you have! Never in a million, no, a billion years would James grow up! Look at him!" Sirius pointed to James who was making a puppy face. " It's James we're talking about!" he finished, still laughing hysterically.

"Think what you will, but if you don't change, James, then you'll never get her," Remus said gravely.

"Get who?"

The boys jumped up from their seats as the new arrival took a seat in front of Sirius.

"Oh, Gwen. Good morning," said Remus smoothly.

"G'morning, Gwen," James and Sirius replied in unison rather unenthusiastically.

"Hello there, boys. Did all of you sleep well?"

They all just mumbled incoherently. Gwen suppressed a giggle as all the boys had replied at once.

"Did _you_ sleep well, Gwenny?" Sirius asked.

"Hmph, not-at-all! Damn Liz wouldn't shut up about Re-"

"Shut up about what, dear Gwen?" asked Elizabeth coolly; at that precise moment, she was making her way towards their table.

"Oh, nothing," Gwen said quickly, grabbing a plate and filling it with food.

"Yes, that's what I thought…anyways, g'morning, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter."

Peter had been asleep on his plate this whole time, and just now had woken up with a jolt to the greeting.

"G'morning," they all replied boredly.

"Where's Lily?" Elizabeth asked. She waited patiently for Remus to scoot over to give her room to sit.

"Well, I tried to wake up our _Sleeping Beauty_, but she refused to get out of bed," said James.

"Oh, don't tell me she still hasn't gotten up?" asked Elizabeth in worried manner.

"Nope. Still sound asleep."

"Uh oh. Not good, James."

"Why is that, Liz?"

"Well," Gwen cut in, "Lils isn't exactly what you call a morning person. And if someone doesn't drag her out of bed then she'll never get up," said Gwen matter-of-factly.

"Really? Then I guess what she's doing now is sleep walking?" Sirius said oddly.

At that moment, Lily had walked in the Great Hall with a large smile on her face.

"Ok, maybe I was wrong this time, but I swear she's usually not up this early," Gwen confessed. "She's probably just excited about her first day of school, but mark my words, she won't be such an early bird tomorrow," she finished with a grin.

"Heh, I'll keep that in mind," James replied, thinking of the many ways he would have to wake Lily up from then on.

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_**There you have it. I hope you all liked it and i expect a lovely review from you fine people out there!! ONCE AGAIN THANKS TO THOSE YOU HAVE REVIEWED! its really a nice thing to open your email account and find some reviews in it. ok well bye!!**_

**_PRESS THE BUTTON!!! please:D_**


	6. Makings of a Good Marauder &PassingNotes

**_Hey hey hey! Chrismas is coming up!! is everyone excited? lol I am hehe. and my b-day is coming up as well...on friday Dec.22 i'll be 18. whooo! a legal woman! yeah yeah hoo hoo! does a dance hehe ok yeah, sorry for getting too excited. alright well i just wanted to update before everything gets way too hectic with the holidays coming up and all. so here it is!! CHapter 6!!!!!_**

**_SHOUT OUTS TO..._**

**_hermy permy: I LOVE YOUR FIC!!! HURRY UP AND WRITE MORE!!_**

**_tm7: THANKS FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT!! AND THANKS FOR HELPING ME DECIDE ON WHAT GWEN SHOULD BE...you know what i mean :P_**

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**Chapter 6. Makings of a Good Marauder and Passing Notes **

The rest of the morning was uneventful for Lily, and if it wasn't for Remus, she thought she would have died of boredom.

"Lily, is it me, or do we already know all this?" Remus whispered during Arthimancy.

"Yes, we do. He's just making us review what we did last year," Lily whispered back.

"Heh, it's times like these when I really miss Professor Boise," he whispered with a smirk on his face. Professor Boise had been their Arthimancy teacher the year before but he had retired due to a serious case of paranoia.

Lily gave Remus a face that told him she didn't approve, then her mouth slowly formed into a smirk as well.

"I didn't like him much, that's why that prank that you guys pulled on him last year was one of the few that I didn't mind to watch," said Lily, grinning widely.

"You know, you would be a good Marauder if you'd just loosen up a bit," Remus said seriously.

"Nuh uh, I'm not joining the Marauders. That would be disastrous," she replied in a disgusted tone.

"Oh, well, it's your choice," he said before turning his attention back to their assignment.

After both of her morning classes, Lily found that she wasn't the only one with her stomach growling for food. Taking a hint, she and Remus headed to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Well, I don't see anybody so let's just save seats for them," Lily suggested.

Remus nodded his agreement and followed her to Gryffindor table. There they sat in silence for a few seconds, and to be truly honest, Lily didn't really feel like talking much.

"Um…" started Remus, "so, what did you think about our new Herbology teacher, Professor Sprout? She seems really nice and by the looks of it, she knows her plants."

"Oh…yeah, she seems like a good teacher," she said, distractedly looking around the hall.

"Lily."

"Yes."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, why do you ask, Remus?" Lily asked, turning to look curiously at the boy in front of her.

"Well, you look a bit off. What's on your mind," Remus asked, concern written all over his face.

Lily just looked at him.  
She hadn't noticed how old he appeared compared to his friends. It was as if he was aging faster then all of them put together. But it did give him a more matured look, which made him all the more attractive.

"Lily!" Remus said sharply, bringing Lily out of her trance. He was now staring at her with a worrisome look.

Lily now felt uncomfortable and irritated; she just wanted her friends to get there so that they could eat.

"Oh, sorry," she mumbled; now staring at her fingers with interest.

Remus only raised his eyebrow at her and sighed.

"I wonder where everyone is," he said, looking around the hall for a moment.

"I dunno, maybe they got stuck with Professor McGonagall."

"I suppose. She has been looking kind of cranky."

"Yeah, she has, hasn't she?" Lily giggled a bit. "Ok, well, I'm hungry so I'm going to start eating, now," said Lily, getting really tired of waiting.

"I'll start with you," he said before taking one last look around. But just as he was about to grab a plate, someone called out his name.

"Ha, here they come," Remus said with a smile.

"Oh, yay," Lily said sarcastically.

"Hey Moony," greeted James.

"Hello. What took you guys so long?" Remus questioned.

"Ah, well, we had a little run in with McGonagall," James answered cheerfully.

"Hey, Remus, could you scoot over a bit?" asked Sirius as he tapped Remus on the shoulder.

"Yeah, sure, Sirius," Remus moved over for him.

"Hey! Make room for me!" James exclaimed.

"Of course, James, old chap!" said Sirius.

"Ok, now, where is Peter?" Remus asked once everyone had settled down.

"He, um, had a close encounter with a Slytherin's fist. But luckily, we were there to teach those gits a lesson," smirked Sirius as he mounded his plate with food.

"Yeah, we showed them, didn't we, Padfoot" James beamed. "Hey, Evans, could you pass the bread?"

"Yeah, sure," Lily sighed.

"Hey, what's wrong with _you_?" Sirius asked.  
"Nothing, Black," snapped Lily.

"A bit grouchy, are we?" commented Sirius.

"Grouchy? She's always like that," said James playfully before Remus stomped on his foot to stop from saying anything else that would upset Lily even more.

"Ouch, Remus! That was my- um, never mind."

"Remember the plan!" Remus hissed in James' ear.

"Oh, right," muttered James. "So, Evans, did you have a good morning?" James' attitude changed so suddenly that Lily wondered what was going on.

"It was alright," she said nonchalantly.

"What class do you have next?"

"History of Magic."

"Oh, really?! 'e hafe 'at whoo!" exclaimed Sirius, who had a large piece of pie in his mouth.

"Urgh, cover your mouth, Padfoot," said Remus.

"Sorry," Sirius swallowed.

Soon after, Lily's friends joined them, making her mood a little bit pleasant.

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The day went by agonizingly slow after lunch. It went so slow that James thought that time was going backwards. They were now in their history class. At that moment he and Sirius were discussing Quiddich, which normally would help him get out of his boredom, but it just wasn't catching his interest. And frankly his mind was more interested on Lily. Hell…his mind was _always_ on Lily…

"James! Earth to James!"Sirius hissed, looking irritated.

"Wha- oh, sorry, Padfoot."

"Yeah, whatever…So, I take it that you weren't paying attention to a damn thing that I was saying?" Sirius asked with one of eyebrows raised.

"…no…I wasn't. Sorry, Sirius," said an embarrassed James.

"Ah, it's alright, Prongs. I just hope you don't stay quiet for too long. Your beginning to get a little boring," replied Sirius.

"Did you ever think that maybe I'm boring at the moment because I AM bored?" James said sarcastically.

"Oh, really? I'm bored too!" replied Sirius.

"You know, you really are weird sometimes."

"Yeah, I know," sighed Sirius, "but you gotta love me!" he said smugly, giving James a little shove with his elbow.

"I'm SOOOO bored!!" said Gwen all of a sudden, putting her desk a little bit closer to the boys

"Join the club, Gwenny."

"Yeah," mumbled James. He was now busy writing on a piece of parchment.

When he finished, he folded it up into an airplane and threw it across the room to where Lily was sitting. She had her head crouched over her table and was working on their assignment when the flying object smoothly landed in front of her.

Curious, Lily grabbed the paper airplane and opened it up. She quickly read it then turned towards James, giving him a look of annoyance. Lily then turned around and began to scrawl something on James' note.

Once finished, she crumbled it up and threw it back, hitting Sirius on the head. This made Gwen and James giggle before Sirius shot them a glare.

"What the hell was that?" he asked angrily, rubbing the spot where the parchment had hit him.

"A reply form Lily," James said simply. Grinning, James eagerly picked up the parchment from the ground and opened it up to reveal what Lily had written.

_**Hey Evans! What are you up to? –James**_

_**Hello Potter. I am doing my work, which is what you are supposed to be doing right now. So I would appreciate it if you would LEAVE ME ALONE so that I can FINISH IT!! Good-bye! Oh, and let this be the LAST time you send notes to me during class! –Lily**_

"She's feisty," said Sirius, who was reading the note over James' shoulder.

"That's my Lils," beamed Gwen.

"I think I'll write back," James decided.

At that, James dipped his quill in the inkbottle and began his reply, with Sirius and Gwen adding a few things to it.

_**First of all, Evans, nice throw. Maybe if you had aimed a little to the right you could have hit me with the parchment and not get poor Sirius. –James**_

_**Yeah! That hurt! –Sirius**_

_**Second, I already finished my work so HA! to you! –James**_

_**Hey Lily, he hasn't finished his work. Just to let you know –Gwen**_

**_Geeze, Gwen, thanks a lot! Ok anyways, about writing back to you, this will be the last time I send notes to you, but since you didn't say, "_don't send a reply back_." Then that means I can still send you back this note and not go against your rule. HA! –James_**

Satisfied with his note, James crumbled the parchment back into a ball and whistled to Lily to catch her attention. She turned to face him and rolled her eyes.

"What?!" she hissed from across the room.

"Catch!" he replied, lazily throwing the note to her. Lily caught it in mid air and turned back in her chair to read James' note once again.

"James, she's getting pretty good at that. She could probably give you a run for your money in Quiddich, mate," teased Sirius.

"Over my dead body!"

"I bet she could arrange that as well." Sirius replied.

"Oh, shut up and let me work, Padfoot!"

"Yeah, you go do that, James," Gwen snorted.

Just then, a ball of paper came flying and hit James square in the face.

"Ow!" James shouted. He rubbed his forehead just as he placed his eyes on Lily, who had a smug look on her face.

"Mr. Potter, Please keep it down. I am trying to teach here," droned Professor Binns.

"How long has he been there?" asked a confused Sirius.

"Since the beginning of class," answered Gwen.

"Oops."

"Why oops?"

"I didn't know he was here."

"Talk about lack of attention," Gwen commented.

"Nah, Sirius is always like that, right, Padfoot?" James interrupted.

"Of course, Prongs."

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's see what Lils wrote," suggested Gwen.

"Ok, it says…"

_**First of all, hello Sirius and Gwen –Lily**_

_**Yeah, hello, guys –Remus **_

_**Yes, hello –Liz**_

_**Second of all Potter, what you said about the note, did NOT make sense. I just hope you realized that. Now, Gwen, would you please smack Potter on the back of the head?- Lily**_

At that moment there was a loud '_smack' _as Gwen hit James.

"Ouch! Damn it, Gwen. Why did you do that?"

"Lily wrote it, so I complied with her wish," she simply said.

James just rolled his eyes at her

"Ok! Just shut up and read the rest!" interrupted Sirius.

"Alright, alright! Keep your clothes on Padfoot," James teased.

"What? You want me to take my clothes off?!" Sirius joked, pretending to lift up his robe.

"Hell no, Sirius! SIT DOWN!" James said as he grabbed his friend by the collar of his robes and roughly sat him down.

"Argh! Boys!" said Gwen irritated. "Ok, just read!"

Ok, well, um, could you leave me alone now?! Please? –Lily

"That's all she wrote?" asked a disappointed James.

"I guess so, mate," Sirius patted James on the back sympathetically.

"Should we write back, Gwen?" James asked, looking at Gwen eagerly.

"Let's write back to Remus and Liz instead," Gwen suggested.

"Go for it!" Sirius replied.

Once again James wrote on the parchment and tossed it to Lily. James watched as Lily read the note then passed it to Remus, who then started to write a reply. All the while, Liz and Lily added a few things here and there.

After that, Remus folded the parchment and threw it back to James. James opened it up and read:

_**Ok, Evans, we'll leave you alone but we are going to still write to Remus and Liz. Ok? Ok…**_

_**Now that that's settled, I wanted to ask if you guys would join us at Hogsmead next Saturday. –James**_

_**Yeah, and we can go to Jonko's to get more Dungbombs. –Sirius**_

_**And as the boys are getting their prank equipment, us girls can go to the Three Broomsticks and catch up on our "gossip." –Gwen**_

_**Gwen, that was scary. –Sirius**_

_**All right, well, what do you say? We on for next Saturday? Write Back! -James**_

_**Good, Potter. Thank you for leaving me out of this conversation for a while, now here are Liz and Remus. Have fun! –Lily**_

_**Sorry about her, everyone. She says she needs to write down notes instead of doing this. –Liz**_

_**About the Hogsmead outing, I say, go for it. We should all hang out. But I'm afraid that we shouldn't buy those Dung Bombs because I already have some left from this summer with Sirius. -Remus**_

_**And yes, Lily and I will join as well. We do need to catch up on our "gossip". –Liz**_

_**So it's agreed. We will all go to Hogsmead on Saturday. –Remus**_

"Cool!" James said loudly after reading the note.

"Yeah, mate, its cool and all but could you keep it down a bit?" Sirius stifled a laugh.

"Oh, sorry," James looked sheepishly at Sirius then he turned to Gwen.

"So, are you sure Evans will go?" he asked.

"She'll go alright. Even if I have to drag her out of the library screaming," Gwen said with a glint in her eye.

Sirius just shook his head and leaned back on his chair. His eyes now drooping as he tried to pay attention to Professor Binns drone on about Glenda the Glamorous Dragon Keeper.

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**_Yay!! Chapter 6 is done!! hehe i liked writing this chap since this is exactly what my friends and i do during class (evily smiling) haha yeah, class is just more fun that way ok well i just wanted to wish you all the best of holidays and a happy New Year incase i don't add another chapter soon!! alright well take care and all that good stuff!!! bye bye_**

**_p.s same old story, i know, but think of it as your x-mas present to me hehehe: PLEASE REVIEW! _**


	7. Too Much Work, Not Enough FUN!

**_Hello everyone! i know i said i probably wouldn't update till the New Year but i couldn't help myself. :P so here is Chapter 7 of A Funny Kind of Romance!!!_

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****Chapter 7 Too Much Work, Not Enough FUN!**

The next four days went by the same way and by now Lily was jammed with homework. She didn't even think she would be able to finish it all by its due date. So there she was on a Saturday morning, in the library, finishing up her 15-inch report on Hippogriffs for Care of Magical Creatures.

It was a quiet morning and not very many people were in the library at the moment. They were all getting ready to go to Hogsmead and of course, she would stay at school and work all day or read a book. But, today seemed a little different for Lily.

Usually, she was eager to just sit at her usual table in the back of the library and learn more about everything. Today though, felt out of place and she found herself letting her mind drift off to other things. Mostly to an annoying boy with jet-black hair and a charming smile.

She must have been staring out into space for a long time because she didn't even notice when Liz and Gwen arrived to her table.

"Lily!"

"Ah!" yelp Lily.

"Whoa, Lils. Calm down. No need to have a heart attack," exclaimed Gwen.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry. You just scared me."

"We tried to get your attention by calling your name softly but you were in your own world there," said Liz.

"Yeah," Gwen added.

"Oh…um, sorry," Lily blushed, trying to shake her thoughts out of her head.

"Anyways, we were looking all over the place for you," said Gwen. She took a seat next to Lily at her table.

"What for? You two know that I always come here for the weekends."

"Yes, we know," Liz replied calmly. "But you see, we need to go to Hogsmead."

"And why is that?" the red head asked suspiciously.

"To catch up on things…and such," said Gwen in a cheerful voice. "You know, '_girl_ _talk_.'"

"But Gwen, you don't like '_girl talk_'…"

"Now I do, and we need to leave right now or else we'll miss the carriage," Gwen replied quickly.

"Hmm…something's up. What are you two planning?" Lily was now eyeing the two girls, who just looked at Lily with innocent faces. The redhead knew something was going on but had she not known them for so long she wouldn't have suspected a thing.

"Nothing's up, Lily."

"Yeah, can't we just go and hang out together?" asked Gwen with pleading eyes. "Besides, when was the last time you went to Hogsmead, eh? Like, what? Three, maybe four years ago?" Gwen said smoothly.

"It was two years ago, Gwen, and the reason why I haven't gone in such a long time is because…is because…well, I don't remember why, but I'm sure it was a good reason at the time," Lily said in her defense. Her arms were crossed and she had an annoyed look about her.

This was a sign that she was going to give up her defense soon and go with the two girls to Hogsmead. Yup, that was it, the girls had her now.

Sure enough, Lily replied, "Ok…I'll go. BUT-"

"Yay!" exclaimed Gwen, not quite paying attention to Lily's next few words.

"But what, Lils?" Liz asked cautiously.

"But, Potter better not be tagging along with us. You hear me, " said Lily sternly.

"Yay-…uh…"

"We'll see what happens when we get there," said Liz in a rush as she quickly grabbed Lily by the arm and dragged her out of the library. They received a loud "NO RUNNING!" from Madam Pince as they left.

"Sirrriiiuuus! Where is she?!" whined James, looking around the Great Hall for any signs of Lily or her two best friends.

"She'll be here, James. Be patient," said Remus casually.

"But, what if she doesn't come?"

"Then I guess you'll have to spend the rest of the day with us," Sirius teased.

"Damn it, Sirius! You could be a little more reassuring then that!" James snapped.

"Sooorrriieee! What do you want me to say then?" Sirius snapped back.

"Say something between the lines of _'I'm sure she'll be here without a doubt,'_ or _'the girls are bound to bring her,'_ something like that!" James shouted in frustration.

"Prongs is losing it," Sirius whispered to Remus under his breath.

"Hey! I heard that!"

"Huh?! WHAT?! I didn't say anything!" said Sirius innocently, earning himself a sharp glare from his best friend.

"Aw, come on, James. You know I'm only messing with you," said Sirius as he wrapped an arm around James's neck.

"Well, stop it then!" James replied, shoving Sirius off of him.

"Suit yourself."

After a few minutes James turned to Remus. "Hey, Remus, where's Peter?"

"He said he had a stomachache so he's at the infirmary right now."

"God, that boy is always in the infirmary these days," Sirius commented exasperatedly.

"Yes, I know," sighed Remus.

"Everyone, may I have your attention." said Professor McGonagall out of nowhere. "You are now free to go to Hogsmead, but remember to be back before 7 o'clock p.m. Anyone who is caught out of grounds after that time will receive a two weeks of detention," she announced sternly. "You are now dismissed."

Soon the crowd started to make their way out to the grounds to get to the carriages.

"Where are they?!" James mumbled worriedly to himself.

"Where is who?" Liz asked as she, Lily and Gwen all gathered around the Marauders.

"No one," James said quickly, relieved that Liz and Gwen had kept their bargain.

"Riiiiggghht…" Gwen said, playfully.

"So, are we going or what?" said Sirius, jumping up and down like an excited puppy.

"YES! START WALKING!" said everyone in unison.

With that said, the six of them walked out of the Great Hall and towards the carriages to Hogsmead.

When they arrived outside of the small village, they all decided to split up for the moment and explore.

"Remember that we will all meet up at The Three Broomsticks at 12 o'clock," Remus confirmed.

"Alright, we won't forget." Liz reassured. "See you boys later."

"Yeah, bye," said Gwen

"Bye," Lily mumbled in agitation. She watched as the three boys made their way through the crowd towards Jonko's Shop.

After making sure that the boys weren't anywhere near them, she quickly turned to her two friends, giving them death glares.

"I said I didn't want to be joined by Potter and the Marauders, damn it!" she growled.

"Now, now, Lily. Don't be so grumpy. It won't be too bad hanging out with James and his friends," said Liz reassuringly. "Besides, we don't have to meet up with them until lunch time. Now until then, let's just have a good time."

Looking at Liz in annoyance, Lily breathed deeply before she replied.

"Ok, let's go before I change my mind and decided to go back to school."

"That's the spirit, Lily! Now, lets go to Honeydukes. I need some more chocolate frogs in order for me to last at least a month of school," Gwen said excitedly.

"You're crazy, Gwen," Liz giggled.

"You certainly are, Gwen," Lily smiled, realizing how much fun she knew she was going to have, one way or another.

The rest of the morning went by, and as the time approached for the girls to head over to The Three Broomsticks, they realized that they barely had enough money left for one Butterbeer each.

"Damn, I hope the boys have some money left. I can't believe I left my moneybag at home," Gwen said sadly. "Liz, remind me to owl my mum and ask her to send it to me."

"Sure thing, Gwen," Liz replied indifferently.

"What _I_ can't believe is that we spent so much money in three hours," Lily said in disbelief.

"Ha! You think that's bad? You should see me before Christmas. I go crazy with Christmas shopping."

"Yes, Gwen, we know, " both Lily and Liz responded in unison; they were walking up to the place they were going to meet the Marauders.

"Ok, now they should be here in a few minutes," Lily said, checking her muggle watch.

"I suggest we should find a table and wait for them, then."

"Sure, how 'bout that one?" Lily pointed out a rather small table in the corner of the pub.

"I guess it will have to do," Liz shrugged.

Once they were all seated, Gwen started up a conversation concerning the new boy who arrived from America the other day. It wasn't long before the girls were discussing all the boys in their grade.

"OoOoh! So you think Justin Jenkins is a catch? Well, what about his brother? Kevin Jenkins? Now there's a fine piece of meat if you ask me," Gwen commented in a hushed voice.

"Gwen! You find Kevin attractive?" Liz asked, somewhat surprised.

"Well, don't you? I mean I'd _do_ him if you know what I mean," Gwen winked.

"Gwen, you wouldn't!" gasped Liz.

"She probably already has," laughed Lily.

"Oh, shut up! I have not!"

"Yeah, sure you haven't…" Lily said as a little grin played on her pouted lips.

"Liiilllyy!"

"I'm only kidding! You know, I know you wouldn't do that…with him," the red head said mischievously.

"You're terrible, Lily," said Gwen, shoving Lily rather harshly, almost making her fall off her chair. At this, the redhead began to giggle slightly. He giggles immediatly turned into a full-fledged laugh and it started to get hard for her to keep her balance.

Lily tried to stop laughing, but before she knew it, she eventually lost her balance and tipped over the edge of her seat. She waited for her body to hit the floor but she soon realized that she was now in someone's arms and not sprawled across the floor.

"Are you alright?" a boy whispered gently in her ear, sending chills down her spine. She could feel his chest move as she leaned gently on him and she couldn't help but feel somewhat safe as he held her in his arms.

"I'm fine, thanks," she said breathlessly; not knowing who it was that had rescued her.

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**_Alright, there it was. Ended on a Cliffhanger, sorry. Did you enjoy it though? I sure hope you did. ok so just be nice and gimme a review and i'll update really really soon!! adios amigos!!!_**

**_HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!_**


	8. The Marauders to the Rescue?

**_Hi everyone!!! here is the long awaited (cough cough) update to my cliffhanger!! _**

**_-----SHOUT OUTS!!!-----_**

**_HERMY PERMY: LOVING YOUR STORY!!! KEEP UP THE AWESOME CHAPPIES! XD_**

**_OPUNGO: OMG! YOUR FIC IS SO CUTE...I JUST STARTED READING IT AND I'M HOOKED! KEEP UP THE GREAT THE WORK!_**

**_THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN REVIEWING!!!_**

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**Chapter 8. The Marauders to the Rescue?**

James had been in a deep conversation with Sirius and Remus before Lily caught his eye in The Three Broomsticks. He watched as she aimlessly chatted away with her friends. James was content to just watch her from afar, but before he knew it, the object of his affection lost her balance and was about to fall off her chair. Without another thought, he immediately rushed to the redhead and caught her before she fell.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a slight whisper. James felt her shiver a bit at the sound of his voice. '_Did she really just shiver because of me?'_ he wondered, hoping that he was right.

He hadn't even noticed how close they were. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and her back was leaning on his chest. Everything seemed perfect before she turned around to see who her savior was.

Realizing who it was that had caught her, Lily quickly jumped out of James' arms, to his disappointment, and looked at him angrily.

"Potter! I could have handled it myself! There was no need for you to-"

"Save your ass?" he finished softly, looking deeply into her eyes. He wanted to give her his usual smirk of triumph but something inside his head was telling him not to.

They were now staring at each other. Lily was giving him a look of uncertainty, her eyes glared at him in an odd way.

" Ahem," Liz interrupted after a few seconds of awkward silence. "So you boys have finally showed up."

At that, the spell between James and Lily was finally broken, and Lily sat back down on her chair in a huff, with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"It's about time. We've been waiting here for," Gwen paused as she checked her watch, " ten minutes."

"Hey, sorry about that. We had some business to take care of," said Sirius as he took a chair from another table and placed it between Gwen and Elizabeth.

"Hello, everyone," said Remus as he too took a chair from the other table and placed it next to Elizabeth, leaving room from James to sit between Elizabeth and Lily. (**how perfect, right?)**

"Hey, Remus," the girls replied.

"So, I see that you ladies have not yet ordered drinks," Remus observed.

"Ha, it's funny you mentioned that," said Gwen. "It just so happened that all three of us ran out of money. Well, actually I left my money at home but that's beside the point."

"Is that so? And I'm betting that the three of you expect _us_ to buy you drinks?" Sirius asked suavely.

"_Weeell_, if you boys wouldn't mind, then that would be a fabulous idea!" said Gwen batting her eyes at Sirius. Like said before, Gwen always had a way of getting what she wanted, one way or another.

"And what do we get in return for our generosity? Eh, Gwen?" Sirius asked, leaning slightly on Gwen.

"Sirius, you'll get a niiiccee pat on the back. How 'bout that?" she replied cunningly, trying to get the tempting Marauder to stop leaning toward her.

"Aww, is that all? I was expecting something a little more, Gwenny," Sirius said, moving his eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner.

"Not in your life, Sirius. Just lend us some money and we'll pay you back. Deal?" she finally said, pushing him off her.

"Oh, all right. Deal…but you're no fun, Gwen," Sirius replied disappointedly.

"Oh, well. Too bad," she smirked. But as she said this James could have sworn that Gwen was giving Sirius a very seductive smile.

"I'll pay for Liz if you don't mind," said Remus interrupting the little flirting fit between Sirius and Gwen.

"Then I'll pay for Lily," James added, still in a state of confusion from his little moment with Lily.

"Potter, you don't have to buy me a drink. I'm fine."

"No, Lily," Liz interrupted. "I think that you should take the drink. You look very pale at the moment," Liz said.

"Fine, I'll have a Butterbeer, please," Lily finally mumbled; her arms still folded against her chest and her head down in defeat, refusing to look at James.

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Noon came and went for the group of six. Lily hadn't noticed how fast time flew when she was having fun. She sat in The Three Broomsticks; drinking her fourth Butterbeer that James had bought her. Surprisingly, she didn't feel compelled to yell at James or make comments about him. At the moment, it seemed as if they were friends…or something of that sort.

Everything was going along smoothly. They all talked, joked, and made fun of the some old men with funny hats. Time flew by so fast that they hadn't even noticed that all of the students were heading back to Hogwarts. It wasn't until Lily set aside her Butterbeer and took a look at her watch when she noticed how late it was. _'8:55, now that couldn't be right,'_ she thought. _'It couldn't be that late already.'_ Quickly turning to Gwen, she asked what the time was.

"Why it's…holy crap! 8:55! We should have been at Hogwarts hours ago!" she gasped.

"We are going to be in big trouble if McGonagall catches us out of bounds!" Lily said, hysterically. She had jumped out of her seat and looked as if she was about to run out of the pub.

"Calm down. We can get there in no time," said James coolly.

"How?! It will take us forever to get there by foot," Lily whined.

"Who said we were getting there by foot?" he asked his eyes were wide and a grin played upon his lips.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Prongs?" Sirius asked suddenly.

"Of course, Padfoot. Way ahead of you," James said happily, pulling out a metal object from his pocket.

At first, Lily thought that James was taking out a cigarette lighter but as he brought the object into view she knew exactly what it was.

"Where did you get that?" she gasped.

"It was a little present from my dear ol' mum," said Sirius, sarcastically, "then I gave it to James as a birthday present." He added happily.

"And I'm glad you gave _this_ to me instead of those Vampire lollypops," James said with a smirk.

"But but, that thing is illegal, isn't it?" Lily stuttered.

"Oh, don't worry. I have a license for it…" said Sirius reassuringly, "or at least I _did_ have a license for it until it became illegal."

"Ok, ok, I dunno if you've noticed, but Liz and I are clueless as to what you are talking about!" said Gwen, heatedly.

"Dear Gwen, it is only you who is clueless at the moment," replied Liz, calmly. "The thing in which they speak of is called a Polyport Device. It opens a portal to anyplace that you like and it allows you to travel to your destination in the blink of an eye."

"Yes, but let me remind you that if you don't know the correct incantation then it could send you to a different era… or worse," Lily added cautiously.

"Oh, so it's kinda like a portkey combined with Apparation and the Floo System?" Gwen asked.

"Somewhat," Remus joined into the conversation. "It's way more advanced and much more dangerous, though,"

"Alright, alright, enough of this worrisome chatter. We need to get our butts to Hogwarts in a matter of two seconds!" James interrupted. He seemed to be getting quite irritated that the group was taking so long talking about the device instead of using it.

"You better do this right Potter! Or I'll personally kill you with my bear hands!"

"Not a problem, Miss Evans. I promise to get you back to Hogwarts safe and sound, or my name isn't Jack Sparrow!" the messy haired boy said, bowing gentleman-like at her. (**sorry, i couldn't help it...i've been watching Pirates of the Caribbean all weekend :P**)

"James, but your name isn't Jack Sparrow," said Remus, shaking his head at his friend. Lily could hardly believe that Remus hung out with such and idiot.

Suddenly Lily's thoughts were soon inturrupted because she was now being dragged out of The Three Broomsticks and into a dark alley along with Gwen and Liz and the rest of the Marauders. At the moment, James was holding the metal object like he would a wand. He then whispered the incantation and traced a large oval in the air. Instantly, a bright blue light appeared where James had made the invisible oval.

As Lily watched the light glow brighter, she felt a slight tug around her waist. That was when she noticed that James had grabbed her and was leading her into the portal.

"Potter! What are you doing?! I don't think I need an escort into that thing!" she hissed.

"Well you were just standing there and it looked like you were in too much of a daze to move," was his reply. Lily rolled her eyes but she reluctantly let James guide her towards the glowing gateway.

Without another word, James and Lily stepped inside the oval. In the blink of an eye, they arrived outside the portrait of the Fat Lady. Not long after, they were reunited with Sirius and Gwen then with Remus and Liz.

"So tell me again why this was so dangerous?" asked Gwen as she blinked her eyes to get use to the dimly lit corridor.

Suddenly someone from the shadows answered Gwen's question.

"Because, it's illegal and will expel you from Hogwarts."

Before anyone had time to speak, a tall, disheveled man walked out from the shadows of the corridor.

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_**eek! i wonder who that could be?**_ **_and i apologize for yet another Cliffy!! please don't start sending me flames...i promise i have a really nice surprise for everyone! laters!! REVIEW!!!!_**


	9. UH OH!

**HEY SURPRISE UPDATE!!!! hehe you didn't think I would be that mean as to leave you hanging for a long time, did you?! ah, it was my boyfriend's idea...anyway enjoy the surprise update now!**

**HERMY PERMY: I KNOW I'M BEING HYPICRITICAL WITH ALL THE CLIFFIES BUT IT MUST BE DONE! LOL THIS CHAPPIE'S FOR YOU WOMAN:P

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**Chapter 9. ****Uh oh!**

"My, my, this is going to be a splendid night, isn't it, Mr. Jingles," said the scruffy man just as a gray tabby cat stepped around the corner.

"Mr. Filch, we were just heading to our common rooms right now. There's nothing to get so work up about," said Lily nervously.

"Now, do you really think I'm that stupid as to let all of you go after committing such an act? No no no, I think a good ounce or two of blood rushing to your heads might be a rightful punishment," growled Filch. "And I do believe it's been a long time since my nose hair pluckers were used as well," said Filch, his face beginning to glow with the thought of punishing the group of students in front of him.

"Now, now, Argus, I certainly don't think that such retribution is in need for these students," said a voice from the right of Lily. She turned quickly to see the Headmaster in a navy blue robe accented with purple stars, heading towards them. They were in trouble now.

"Ah good evening Professor, we were just heading to our chambers so we'll be on our way now," said Sirius calmly as he began to walk toward the portrait of the fat lady.

"Not so fast, Mr. Black, I do believe there is a matter to discuss at this moment," said Professor Dumbledore, giving Sirius a gentle glance. Sirius looked back at Dumbledore and shook his head as he joined the rest of the group in defeat.

"Headmaster, I just witnessed these students using a Polyport Device," Filch said gravely. "And we all know very well that those things were banned a year ago."

"Yes, I know Argus, but another matter is at hand. Now, if you would please be so kind as to let me take these students to my office to converse?" said the Headmaster politely.

"But, Headmaster! They used an illegal device on school grounds! I think some punishment is needed here!" snarled Filch in frustration. His cat was now in front of Sirius hissing. Sirius just growled at the cat and it went away just as James elbowed him him in the ribs for what he did.

"We shall discuss their punishment after I hear their side of the story. Please excuse us now, Argus."

After giving Filch a reassuring glance, Dumbledore turned to the group and nodded for them to follow him to his office.

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James was in utter confusion, to say the least. Not only were they going to get in a great deal of trouble for getting caught using the Polyport Device, but there was something else on the Headmaster's mind that didn't look too good either. James was so caught up in his mind that he hadn't noticed that his feet had led him all the way to Dumbledore's office, along with everyone else. He guessed that since he had been there so many times, his feet already knew where to take him.

James glanced at Lily, who looked completely terrified at being taken to the Headmaster's office for something other then an award for good grades.

Finally in the headmaster's office, James looked around the enormous room as they gathered around Professor Dumbledore's desk. It had been a while since he last entered this office, and again, it was on bad terms so James really wasn't that frightened of getting in trouble. He was more worried about the girls then anything else. More for Lily and Liz, that is. It amazed him that Gwen was just as much of a troublemaker as he and the Marauders were, considering she was supposed to be a good girl like her two best friends.

Looking upon the gadgets that cluttered the desk and the portraits of all the previous headmasters and mistresses of the school that hung on the walls, James hadn't noticed the group that was staring at him intently.

"James!" Remus hissed, nudging James with his elbow.

"Sorry, I had forgotten how much stuff you have in here, Professor. It just overwhelmed me," James said with embarrassment.

"That's quiet alright, but would you please explain to me why you were caught with a Polyport Device on school grounds?" said Dumbledore softly, sitting behind his desk with his hands clasped in front of him.

"You see, Professor, it was a mistake and we won't ever do it again. We'll-even-give-you-the-device-if-you-wish," Lily said in a rush.

"Be quiet Lily, that thing isn't even yours," Gwen commented.

"Then who may I ask, does it belong to?"

"It's mine, Professor," Sirius raised his hand with his head averted to the floor.

"That's a lie, Professor." James interjected. "The Polyportal Device belongs to me.""No, James, that thing is mine, my own mother gave it to me so be quiet," Sirius hissed to James, his eyes full of concern.

"I admire your altruism, but there is no need to try and hide anything from me. I will not punish you for anything tonight. I just wish to know how you came about with this contraption and if I may ask you to help me with something," Dumbledore said giving the group a little bit of a shock that they weren't in trouble…yet.

"Are you serious?" asked Sirius. (**a/n: yes I know this pun is used quite often, but I couldn't resist XD**)

"Yes, of course, Mr. Black," the old wizard said lightly. "So, would you be kind enough to give me information on the object you have in your pocket, Mr. Potter?"

Slightly startled, James started to explain, along with Sirius, since it had been his first. After giving Dumbledore all the information they could, they asked the old wizard what else it was that he needed.

"There is something else, but I doubt that I should get you all involved in the same thing. I will separate you into pairs and each couple will have a different assignment. The thing in which you will be working on must be very confidential, no one must know about it until the appointed time. You must not even tell each other what different task you have taken." Dumbledore said very critically, looking directly into each of their eyes. "Do you each understand the seriousness of this?"

"Yes, Professor," they all replied with determined looks on their faces.

"If any of you feel that this is too much to handle after I tell you your assignment then please do not feel obliged to go through with the task, but let I remind you that your memory of that point in time will be removed for reasons of information being intercepted."

"We understand, Professor Dumbledore. But may I ask one question before you assign us these tasks?" Lily interrupted politely.

"Yes, go right ahead, Ms. Evans."

"What exactly are we dealing with that must be kept in top secret?" Lily asked cautiously.

"You will be dealing with a very powerful dark wizard named Lord Voldemort."

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At those last words, Liz and Gwen gasped. The boys on the other hand had a different reaction.

"I've heard that name before." Remus confessed. "My father had an assignment on that same wizard in the Ministry of Magic. He worked on it before- before his death," Remus finished with difficulty. Liz gently put her arm around his shoulders as a bit of comfort for him.

"Yeah, I've heard of that name too. My mother tried to get me in league with that bloke." Sirius shivered at the thought. "Didn't seem like of good idea and I was right, wasn't I?"

"Yes, you were quite right," said the old wizard with his eyes sparkling at Sirius.

"And well, of course I've heard of it as well. My father is an Auror so I've heard that name constantly in my house." James said earnestly.

Then Gwen spoke out of nowhere, her eyes seemed watery as if she wanted to cry.

"How can you all just talk about him as if nothing?" Gwen said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"What do you mean? Why are you so worked up, Gwen?" Lily asked curiously. She looked slightly confused at Gwen's sudden out-burst.

"I mean, haven't you heard of all the things that have happened because of that one particular wizard?" Gwen questioned, her voiced seemed to quiver as she spoke.

"Yes, that's why I have gathered you all here. We all know the destruction that has been caused by only one person," Dumbledore replied. "Your assignment will be dealing with Lord Voldemort. And I have chosen all of you due to the different impacts he has had on each of your lives."

"On each of us? What do you mean, Professor? I have had no connection with this Lord Voldemort," Lily said. Once again Gwen and Liz shivered at the sound of the name. "And stop getting so worked up because of one little name. I am ashamed at how easily a few stupid words make you react in such a way."

"I'm sorry to say this Lily, but you have a great involvement in this as well even though you may not have realized it yet. Lord Voldemort has had some impact in your life. Just look around, most of your friends have had some sort of tragedy due to this wizard," said Professor Dumbledore softly.

"Not Liz, she's part muggle-born and she lives most of the time with her mother in muggle France," Lily said desperately before turning to Liz.

"I'm sorry Lil's but he's right. Something happened that did impact my life, but lets not talk about it now…" she replied in a tiny voice, making Lily feel alone.

"So there you have it Lily," Sirius said with frustration and a yawn. "Now will you let the Headmaster finish so that we can get to bed?"

"Alright, please tell us what our assignment is, Professor" said Lily.

"I will, but let me divide you all first," said Dumbledore as he got up from his desk to stand in front of the group of young witches and wizards.

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James looked around as Dumbledore gathered his thoughts, hoping that he would end up with Lily by some miracle. As it turned out, he got just what he wished for, but as always, Lily didn't look so thrilled. So it went with Remus paired with Liz and Sirius with Gwen.

"Now that I have paired you up, would the four of you please wait outside as I give these two their instructions?" Dumbledore said, nodding to Remus, Liz, Sirius, and Gwen to wait outside as he spoke to James and Lily. Once the four students left the office, Dumbledore turned to the Head Boy and Girl.

"Your assignment begins on the first of December-"

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_**OooOh so what's Dumbledore up to? i dunno...maybe you gotta come back next time for the next chapter!! reviews please!!!**_

**_p.s. this was not a real cliffhanger...i promise. :D_**


	10. New Findings and Having Fun

**_ok , i just want to say that i was somewhat dissapointed with the lack of reviews for my last chapter...it was a surprise update for you all and some of you didn't thank me (THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO DID THOUGH!!!!! I HEART YOU GUYS AND GALS!) but yeah... :( i was sad...so no more surprise updates for you all...unless you can make it up to me by sending me tons of reviews for this chapter...(cough cough) Anyway have fun with this update!!_**

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**Chapter 10. New Findings and Having Fun**

A few weeks had passed since the agreement was made between Dumbledore and the small group of Gryffindors. It was the last week of September now and as a treat for October, Lily wanted to plan a Halloween ball.

She had been meaning to talk to Dumbledore about her plans, but ever since that night when their assignment was given, she had been reluctant to even face the professor or James.

Things had gotten odd with both James and the rest of the Marauders as well. Not that they were any better before, but at least back then Lily could be around the boys and not have it bother her too much. As a way to get her mind off things, she decided that planning this ball would be a perfect distraction.

It was a quiet afternoon in the library and Lily was discussing her plans for the Halloween Ball with Gwen and Liz.

"Ah, how exciting! It would be wonderful to have a ball for Halloween. We can dress up really nice and make it a masquerade party!" Gwen exclaimed.

"Yes, it would be a great distraction from all the things we've had to do lately," said Liz "I don't know about you, but Dumbledore really has been pushing both Remus and I on that assignment he gave us," Liz said, her eyes showing the stress she was feeling. Although Lily didn't know what exactly Remus and Liz were working on for Dumbledore, she could tell that it took a lot out of both of them.

"Well, James and I haven't started our task yet, but I'm sure that when we do start I'll be sympathizing with you, Liz." Lily said reassuringly, nodding her head.

"As for Sirius and I," Gwen interjected, "all we have to do at the moment is perfect a lot of charms and spells he told us to work on. Which is kinda fun when I think about it," said Gwen, going off in a dreamlike state.

"Gweeeeeen, are you ok?" Lily asked, noticing the sudden change in her friend.

"Oh, yes, I'm good. Absolutely, good," said Gwen with a slight smile before wiping it off her face, making her two friends give her odd glances. "What?" she asked innocently, her eyes still kind of glazed over as if she was in a trance.

"Nothing," replied Lily and Liz, a mischievous smirk playing on both their lips.

"_Riiiiiggghht," _said Gwen, eyeing the blonde and redhead skeptically. "Anyway, when are you going to ask Dumbledore? I'm sure he'll say yes if you ask him," Gwen urged.

"I'm planning on asking him sometime this week so that we can start getting things set and you know that whole deal," Lily said thoughtfully.

"Oh that sounds like a good idea! If he says yes on Friday then we'll have more than enough time to get everything done," said Liz.

"Wow, I can't believe that it's already been a month since the first day of school. Time is flying by too fast," Gwen commented.

"I know. That's one of the reasons why I decided to plan this party. Maybe then, things won't seem too filled with work and worries," Lily sighed, as she said this, not noticing the strange look Gwen and Liz were giving her.

"Did I hear correctly or did Lily just complain about having to do too much work?" Gwen asked in shock, her hand placed over her mouth in disbelief.

"Yes, dear Gwen, you heard correctly. Our little Lily made her first complain on the burdens of schoolwork. I'm so proud," Liz said before hugging Lily in a motherly way.

"Oh, nock it off! I'm not complaining, I'm just acknowledging the fact that school has been hectic," she said defensively, trying to pry Liz's arms away from her neck.

"Lily, we know that things have been hard on you too. It's our last year of Hogwarts, it's supposed to be stressful," Liz replied softly, finally letting go of Lily.

"Alright, enough of this talk about school and worries. Let's get outta here and have some fun," Gwen interrupted excitedly.

"I really shouldn't, I still have to look up a few things in the Restricted Section with Remus and then I have to finish that report for Potions with Professor Slugworth," Liz replied.

"And I have to get some things done as well," Lily added. "We have a test coming up for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Oh no you don't! You girls are coming with me! We really need a break for the afternoon. Now come along. No arguing," Gwen said sternly as she snatched both of her friends by their arm and led them out of the library just as Remus and Sirius were entering.

"Hello ladies, where are you all headed?" Sirius asked.

"Sorry boys, but us girls are gonna have a little fun for the night. See you later…maybe," Gwen said in a rush before Lily or Liz had anything to say.

"What about our assignment, Elizabeth?" Remus called out in vain.

"Sorry Remus, I'll catch you later!" she replied sympathetically, leaving Remus and Sirius staring after the group of girls in confusion.

"Now, that was weird," Remus said, scratching his head.

"Tell me about it."

It was around 9:45p.m. and the three girls had found themselves causing a riot in the Head Dormitory. The floor of the common room was littered with candy wrappings, plenty of pillows, and a couple issues of _Witch Magazine_; they had also managed to find one of the house-elves to sneak them a few cakes from the kitchens. At the moment, they sat in a circle on the floor as they played Exploding Snap just as James walked in.

"Hello, my fair ladies. Having a nice sleep over?" he questioned cheekily as he reached over to one of the Chocolate Frogs that lay next to Gwen.

"It's going splendid…that is, until _you_ showed up, Potter" said Lily, making a grab for the same Chocolate Frog that James was reaching for, but James was too quick for her and she fell over Gwen miserably. She stared angrily as James unwrapped the sweet and took a bite.

"Wan' some?" he asked with his mouth full, showing the half bitten chocolate to her.

"No thanks," she replied in disgust.

"So, don't you think you ladies should be getting to bed? I do believe its past curfew and I am entitled to hand out detentions for those who are out and about in the halls," James said smugly.

"Well, it just so happens, Mr. Chief-In-Command, that they have permission to be out at the moment. _And_ its not even time for curfew yet…at least not for about another five minutes. So if you would be so kind as to let us be, then that would be splendid," said Lily, trying to be as polite as possible, but to no avail.

"Oh come on, Lily. Do you really think I would do that to Gwen and Liz?" asked James after finishing his last bite from the chocolate.

"I really don't care right now. Could you just go…please?" Lily said, begging him with her green almond shaped eyes. She knew he couldn't resist her so she waited patiently for his reply.

"Fine, fine, but I'm warning you. I just saw Filch and his mangy ol' cat prowling around here and I don't think he was too pleased to find out that we didn't get punished the last time we were out of our dormitories," James warned with his hands on his hips.

"Thanks, James, we'll keep that in mind," Lily said dismissingly.

"All right then, 'night girls," he said with a slight bow and then headed to his room.

"Well, I guess he's right, you girls should start heading to bed. And I don't think it's going to be easy if James said that Filch is around these halls." Lily said regretfully.

"We'll be fine, Lils. We're big girls," Gwen replied playfully.

"Why don't I go with you? Just incase Filch does show up I can tell him it's my turn to check the halls."

"No, no, Lily. There really is no need for that. Besides, you look extremely tired. You should go to bed," said Liz, who had gotten up from the floor and was now distracted with a book on one of the shelves in the common room bookcase.

The book was placed almost at the top, causing Liz to have to reach on her tiptoes to try and get it. As she reached higher, she held on to a candle stand beside the shelves, and just as she finally got a hold of the book she tugged on it before almost falling over.

"Inky Puffs! I've finally got it!" she exclaimed under her breath before a door slowly appeared in front of her. "Oh, wow, a secret passage way!" she said in surprise.

At that instant, Lily and Gwen looked at where Liz was to see the door that appeared right in the middle of the large book shelf.

"Liz, you found your way back to Gryffindor common room!" Lily announced, hurrying to get off the floor and go to where Liz stood. Liz was just stood there for a moment and then opened the book in her hand, when she turned to the first page she cursed softly and then looked at Lily, a frown placed upon her graceful face.

"What's wrong, Liz? Arn't you glad you found a way back to Gryffindor Common Room?" Lily asked, her head tilted in confusion.

"Oh I'm not disapointed about that...its just that this book looked so interesting from up on the shelf but its blank..." she replied with a pout upon her full lips, flipping through the rest of the book hopefully.

"Ah Liz, I'm sorry, but isn't this really cool?" Lily said, pointing to the secret door.

"Hey! What's with all the ruckus? What happ—" James gasped. "Is that what I think it is?!"

"Whoa, Liz!! How did you do that?" Gwen asked as she glided her fingers over the row of books that lined the new door.

"I dunno, I was just trying to get this book from up there," she said, waving the book nonchalantly, "and as I grabbed it I said 'inky puffs'," just as she said those words the door vanished and became the same old bookshelf that it had been.

"So the password is 'inky puffs'," Gwen said, expecting the passageway to appear, but this time nothing happened. "Aw, how come it didn't work that time?" she asked disappointedly.

"I think you have to say it while reaching for this book at the very top," Liz answered smartly, holding up the book. She then went on her tip toes to place it back where it was.

"Well that's great! Now we can visit each other without going through the corridors!" Lily said happily, turning to James who didn't look as enthusiastic as she."What's wrong with _you_, Potter? Why the sad face?"

"He's just upset that he didn't find the passage way before anyone else," Gwen said with a grin. "It's alright James, you can lead us through, if you want," she said, patting him sympathetically on the back.

"No," he replied a bit sadly, "its ok, I'm going to bed. I have some things to do in the morning. Once again, good night everyone." He turned his back on the three girls and strided to his room.

Both Gwen and Liz looked at Lily oddly, expecting and explaination to James's behavior, but she was just as lost as they were. She only shrugged with her palms facing up in the air and then stepped through the door that was in front of them. "So are you girls coming or not?" she asked with a grin before she was lost in the darkness of the passageway.

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**_YAY!!!!! THEY FOUND THE HIDDEN PASSAGEWAY!!! HOW FUN RIGHT? YEAH LOTS OF FUN... yeah well you know what i'm gonna ask for...REVIEWS! there i said it...see y'all around soon!! laters!_**


	11. Troubled Dreams and Lily’s Concern

**_Hi everybody!! Just wanted to thank those of you who reviewed. I decided to give you all a nice big cookie...now hold out your hand and presto! its there!!!.eat the yummy yummy cookie while you enjoy my update!!_

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**Chapter 11.** **Troubled Dreams and Lily's Concern**

The passage leading to the Gryffindor common room lit up with torches the moment Lily, Gwen, and Liz stepped through the door. Soon after, the door closed behind them with a small 'thud'. It wasn't long before Lily and the girls started to walk through the winding route with excitement. It thrilled Lily to know that she would have a way to go to and fro this passage to visit her friends now.

They walked for what seemed like a couple of minutes before she could see light seeping through a crack in the wall. Stopping in front of it, an outline of a small door appeared. Lily turned to her two best friends. "Are you ready?" she asked, just for the heck of it. The two other girls nodded back before Lily reached for the doorknob and turned it slightly. She then stuck her head out of the door before opening it all the way to climb through. Sure enough they were in the empty Gryffindor common room. They all walked out and as they did so, the door behind them disappeared without a trace.

"So, I'm guessing you have to say the password again in order to get back," Gwen thought out loud.

"I hope so. Let's try it just incase," Liz suggested as she stood in front of the wall where the door had been just a few seconds ago. They were in a rarely used corner of the common room, which was a good thing too, since Lily didn't want anyone else knowing about the secret door other than her friends and maybe James's.

Liz studied the wall carefully before she took out her wand, tapped the wall with it, and whispered the password. Luckily, the door reappeared, giving Lily a sense of relief.

"I'll see you girls tomorrow morning then?"

"Of course, Lily. We'll see you in the morning. Good night, dear," said Liz before giving her friend a hug and slowly making her way up to her dormitory. "Gwen, are you going to bed yet?" she called out over her shoulder as she kept on walking.

"Yeah, I'll be right there Liz. Just gimme a moment."

"Ok, night then." With that said, Liz left the common room and went up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

"What's on your mind, Gwen?" Lily asked, knowing Gwen all too well and knowing that something was bothering her dear friend. She grinned as Gwen sighed before she spoke. "_I think I'm starting to like Sirius_," Gwen spoke in a rush, her cheeks blushed as she waited for Lily to make a comment. Lily just smiled, knowing already that Gwen had feelings for that one particular Marauder. "I know," she simply replied.

"Wha-?! How did you-?! Oh, you and Liz are good," she said playfully. "You two really know me a little too well."

"Well what do you expect from your two best friends?" Lily grinned again.

"Don't get me wrong. I know you guys know me, but I just didn't think I was making it _that_ obvious."

"Don't worry about it. I doubt Sirius even has a clue. And if he does, then he is just good at hiding it."

"_Yeah_," Gwen sighed. "So, what do you think I should do? I dunno if I can handle being around him so much and have him not know how I feel. You know that's just not my kind of thing," the pretty blonde added frankly.

Lily laughed at Gwen's bluntness. And she was right. She just wasn't the kind of girl to keep her feelings all lock up inside.

"Oh, my dearest Gwenivere. Whatever will I do with you?" Lily said lightheartedly. Her friend looked at her in an odd manner. "Now Gwen, you know what I say never really settles well with you, sooo, why don't you just do what you think will be for the best. And honestly, I've never really been too fond of Sirius Black until this year, but I have a feeling that you two would be quite a pair." Lily smiled brightly at Gwen.

"Are you _serious_ about Sirius?" Gwen asked, not realizing that what she said sounded a bit amusing.

"Yes, I'm _serious_ about Sirius. I'm starting to get used to a couple of the Marauders— but don't get any ideas," she added before Gwen could say anything. Gwen only rolled her eyes and sighed. "So, you think I should tell him then?"

"Yes, but do it only when you feel it is right… and if you want, I could probably ask Remus for some information on this little matter. That is…if you want me to." Lily's voice trailed off in thought. She had just realized that it had been a long while since she last spoke to Remus.

"Would you do that for me?! Please?!! I would really like to know. Damn it, why do I have to act like some stupid, giddy, school girl?!" she scolded herself.

"Gwen, you _are_ a giddy school girl." Lily replied knowing that would make Gwen laugh.

"Speak for yourself. Ah, well I should let you get to bed. Thanks, Lils. I don't know what I would do without you and Liz."

"No problem…even though it's not like I do much but let you confide in me, of course. By the way, you _have_ told Liz, right? She _does_ know?" Lily asked with raised eyebrows.

"Ha, of course Liz knows. She was the one who pointed out my odd behavior in the first place," Gwen smirked. "Heh, she's a bright one I'll tell you that."

"If that's all, then I better get going. See you tomorrow, Gwen. Good night."

"Night, Lils, and thanks."

Lily then turned to face the wall where the door once was. She whispered the password under her breath and opened the door to go in. Just before she closed the door she told Gwen not to tell anyone about the passage and to advise Liz to do the same. After that, she closed the door behind her and walked alone in the small corridor back to her common room.

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James woke with a start the following morning. He had woken up at the break of dawn with something disturbing on his mind. For the past few weeks since his encounter with Dumbledore, he had been having a reoccurring dream. A dream in which involved him and Lily.

They were in a dark, cold dungeon. He couldn't place exactly where he was but he knew it wasn't Hogwarts. He had this eerie feeling that someone was watching him from behind but every time he would turn to check, no one was there. All around him he could hear and feel something ominous in the dungeon. The back of his neck prickled with a cold chill and he waiting for the worst to appear.

Lily was standing close to him; curiously close, with her hand on his arm and her wand ready for any sort of attack or movement from the dark corners of the room.

They walked through the dungeon until they reached a door. James felt a cool rush of wind behind him so he turned to check what it was. Once again, there was nothing there. But just as he was about to turn to look at the door, a figure came out from the shadows and walked…

No.

Glided toward them.

A laugh emitted from this hooded figure and evil eyes could be seen from under the cloak that it was wearing. The figure then reached out a hand and pulled down his hood to reveal an almost handsome looking man.

There was something strange about this fellow though. He looked like a man but he had an unreal evilness coming from him, almost as if it was evil that was seeping out of his soul and into the air, cold and heavy, making it hard for James to breath; his warm breath came out of him like a thin smoke, it was too cold in this place. The man's face showed that of a charming person but the way he presented himself gave out an eerie feeling. This was certainly someone that no one should mess with.

Chills ran down James' spine as he grabbed Lily and pushed her behind him, shielding her from this person. She yelled in protest but was quickly quieted after he gave her a stern glance.

"Come. Follow me in my path to greatness. You know Dumbledore cannot give you what I can, James Potter and Lily Evans," said the man suavely, though his voice dripped with wickedness. It reminded James of the snake that tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. "Both of you could do vast things on my side. And I promise that you will be rewarded greatly if you don't resist. Come." The man smiled charmingly at them.

"Never!" James shouted instantly. "We will never join you and your group of mass murderers!! And whatever you can give us is nothing that we certainly care for! Not even all the power that you say you possess could make us turn to you!!!" James finished, his voice showing no fear. He could feel the sweat on the palm of his hands, making him grip his wand firmly.

"If that is what you want, then so be it!" shouted the wicked man as his face turned malignant. "I will kill you first and then your little Mudblood girlfriend."

James was now ready to duel. The first spell came from the man; a green light shot from his wand before James had time to shout out his first spell.

"No!" screamed Lily. It was then that she pushed James aside as the green flash came towards him.

Then James woke up.

This was the dream James kept on having and each time it was getting worse and worse with more and more details. He sighed, as he got ready for school. _What could this dream mean,_ he wondered. Did this mean that they would embark on a battle with someone so evil? Did this mean that Lily would end up risking her life for him? But he would not allow her to do such a thing and he would not allow himself to think about this nightmare any longer.

James cleared all thoughts of his terrible dream from his head, got his robes on and walked towards Lily's room and knocked lightly on the door. This was a new part of the routine that he had created for himself in the morning.

Every dawn he would go to Lily's door and wake her up for school. It was just as Gwen and Liz had said. Lily was not a light sleeper and she was definitely not a morning person, unlike himself. But just as he was about to speak through the door, he heard two voices come from behind him.

Without another thought, he swiftly took out his wand and pointed it at the two arrivals. (**a/n: James was taught to always have his wand with him…he's so smart :D**)

"Whoa, James! What do you think you're doing pointing your wand like that in people's faces?! Didn't your mother ever tell you that you could poke someone's out out like that?" Sirius said teasingly. Remus soon arrived next to Sirius looking dreadful. It was coming close to that time when Remus would be changing into a werewolf.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just didn't know it was you two—hey! How did you get in, anyway?!" Bewilderment was written all over James' face.

"The girls told us about the new passageway they found in here last night. How come you never told us that there was one in the first place?" Sirius asked with a pout upon his lips.

"I had forgotten about it. McGonagall had told Lily and me about it at the start of school, but it must have slipped my mind."

"Ah, no matter. Now we can sneak in here and bother you anytime we like. Isn't that great?!" said Sirius excitedly.

"Yeah, just peachy." James replied sarcastically.

"Jeez, what's your problem Prongs?"

"I'm not sure…it's nothing really. I've just been thinking too much," James lied, not wanting to mention his nightmare to them just yet.

"Sure, well let's start heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast. I'm starving!"

"Hold on, I need to wake up Lily before we go," James said, turning towards the door and knocking on it lightly. "Time to get up, Sunshine, the earth says hello." (**_eek, there I go again with Johnny Depp movies: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!!! )_**

"Eeer, ok." Lily moaned through the door.

At that moment, James heard a fit of giggles from behind him. Sure enough, he turned to see that Sirius was against the wall trying to hold in his laughter. James gave him a look and Sirius just exploded with laughter.

"SUNSHINE? THE EARTH SAYS HELLO?!! Oh My God, James! That's the funniest thing I've heard all morning. Do it again! DO IT AGAIN!!!! Hahahaha! SUNSHINE!!"

"Shut up, Padfoot," Remus tiredly smirked at James before he pulled the hysterically laughing Sirius towards the door going out of the dormitory. "We'll wait outside. You get your stuff and finish waking Lily up," he finished groggily.

"SUNSHINE! Hahaha!!" Sirius continued laughing until they were out in the corridor.

The only thing James could do was grin at his over-reacting friend before he knocked again on Lily's door to make sure she got out of bed. Just as he finished knocking, he heard shuffling and then the turning of a doorknob.

He stood aside as the door opened to reveal a disheveled looking Lily in her pajamas and a bathrobe.

"'Morning," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and yawning loudly.

"Good-morning," he replied. He had never seen Lily in her pajamas, and frankly he hoped that this wasn't the last time. She wore a long, pale-green, silk nightgown with white lace on her neckline. It was very whimsical and gave Lily a fairy-like appearance.

But before James could comment on her appearance, Lily had already closed the door to the bathroom and started up the faucet for the tub. James just shrugged, grabbed his things from his room and headed out of the dormitory before Remus and Sirius started to think that he and Lily were up to something very perverted.

The morning had started out nicely for Lily. In her Arthimancy (**_a/n: I'm not sure if I spelled it right…please tell me if I didn't)_** class she was able to answer all the questions without a second thought. For the past week she had not been able to comprehend the new subject in her class and she was beginning to think that Arthimancy just wasn't one of her best subjects anymore, but today she felt as if everything was going her way and she was finally able to understand everything that her professor was lecturing about.

She sat next to Remus, who seemed to be having the worst of time. She noticed that he seemed to be looking a bit paler these past few days and she was worried that he might be coming down with the flu or something much worse.

At the moment, he was huddled over his textbook, face flushed and hands trembling, trying to write down notes on their professor's lecture.

"Remus," she whispered over to him and he jumped up in his seat.

He was so consumed in his work that she seemed to have startled him.

"Ah, sorry Lily, I'm a bit out of sorts at the moment. What's on your mind?" he asked, his lips forming a polite smile but his eyes betrayed him, showing the exhaustion that he was feeling.

"Remus are you ok? You look…. horrible," she said with concern. Not realizing how rude she sounded.

"Oh, do I really?" his polite smile was beginning to fade into a face of complete fatigue.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, Remus. I really didn't mean to sound that blunt. I'm just… worried about you. You look terribly sick and I really think you should ask to go to the nurse. I mean look at you, you're practically trembling." Lily ended in distress.

"I'm fine, really. Thanks for being so concerned, Lily."

"Oh, ok, Remus. But if you need help with anything just ask, ok?" Lily replied sympathetically before she continued with her assignment. She had wanted to ask him about Sirius and if he liked Gwen but now just didn't seem like the time to do it…she would have to catch him on a better day.

Later that day, she kept an eye on Remus, making sure that nothing bad happened to him. Luckily, she was able to convince him to go to the Infirmary to get checked by Madam Pomfrey. Sure enough, there was something wrong with him, but Madam Pomfrey said nothing more then that he had to stay in bed and that Lily should get back to class.

It wasn't until Potions when Lily told James and Sirius about Remus being in the hospital wing.

"Potter, you do know that Remus is sick and in the Infirmary, right?" she said during class as she passed James's table. They were all gathered in groups of threes and were working on a drought to keep vampire pigeons away. **(a/n: how original right:P I had nothing else to think of)**

"Yeah, I heard," he said nonchalantly, cutting up some poison bark of a fig that would be put in the potion.

"And you're not worried?!" she asked, appalled at how he didn't seem to care.

"Nah," Sirius interrupted, "Remus is usually always sick."

"Well, don't you think there might be something really wrong with him if he's always getting sick?" she asked rather angrily.

"No, he'll be ok. Don't worry about it, Evans" James said, now placing the bark in the boiling cauldron.

"Jeez, you guys are some kind of friends," Lily replied in a huff before she went back to her table to help Gwen with their potion, which looked like it was about to blow up any minute.

Right after class, Lily decided to go to the infirmary to check on Remus.

When she got there, she was informed that Remus was too sick to be visited. By now, Lily was really worried, and didn't want to leave the infirmary until Madam Pomfrey told her what was wrong with her friend. But after a few seconds of arguing with the nurse, Lily was thrown out.

Upset and confused, Lily made her way to her dormitory to pick up one of her books for her next class. She was already late so she began to jog to her dorm.

She jogged out of the infirmary and no more than a few steps, rounded a corner and bumped into someone short and stubby, making the person fall over.

"Oh, sorry," she mumbled, rubbing her hurt shoulder. She soon realized that she had bumped right into Peter Pettigrew.

"It's alright," he said in an almost frightened voice. Lily looked at him before she noticed two boys and a girl near a suit of armor behind him. It wasn't until she got a better look when she recognized that they were Slytherins: Lucius Malfoy, Serverus Snape, and Bellatrix Black.

Throughout her years at Hogwarts, Lily couldn't stand these people. Lucius Malfoy was a snobbish boy with almost platinum blonde hair; to Lily, he had a face that always looked as if he had just stepped in a pile of smelly dung. Back in their first year at Hogwarts, Malfoy use to pick on Lily because of her muggle family. It wasn't until Lily finally perfected her charms when she taught that Malfoy a lesson. Serverus Snape was another one of those annoying boys that always seemed to try and know everything. He had long, greasy black hair, and his nose was way too big for his face. When she had first met Snape, she had nothing against him, yet one time in their 5th year, when James and Sirius were doing their usual bullying on Snape, she tried to help him but all he did was call her a Mudblood and tell her to bug off. That was all she needed before she grew to dislike him and not care when James would pick on him. As for Bellatrix Black, she was a tall gangly girl, with long black hair. She always wore dark eye shadow that made her look almost vampire-like. She too had a streak for hexing muggle-born witches and wizards just for the fun of it. Lily never had any run-ins with Black but she had heard some gruesome stories. She was a grade younger than Lily, which was mostly the reason why Lily didn't know much about her.

From what Lily could see, Malfoy, Snape and Black were in a very hushed conversation, they then looked towards Lily and Peter and both scowled. Lily was about to tell them to go to class, but they quickly left before she had a chance to say anything.

"Peter, what's wrong? You look as if you were running from something," said Lily.

"No, nothing's wrong. I was going to my class," Peter squeaked. Lily felt something strange was going on so she questioned Peter again.

"Were those Slytherins by that suit of armor threatening you or something?" Lily asked with a quizzical brow. Peter only answered with a vigorous shake of his head and a squeaky '_no_'.

"Are you sure, Peter? Because if they were bothering you then we could tell the headmaster about it and he'll sort it out," she said sternly. Peter only answered with a nod and assured Lily that nothing had happened. He then said good-bye before running off into the direction Lily had just come from. ''How odd," she said to herself and she watched the boy waddle off. Without another thought, Lily turned quickly to continue jogging to her dorm to get her book.

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**_OooOo what's little Peter up to, huh? he seems somewhat secretive doesn't he? i think so. that lying son of a- rat? i dunno ok well i'll be back soon!!! thanks for reading and please review!!!_**


	12. Free Roaming Beasts & a Sleeping Beauty

**_Yes, yes, i know, i know...i took too long to update this chapter, but i had so many things going on recently. there was a lot band practice and competitions, i didn't even have time to check my email til now. ok well blah, blah, blah, enough of my excuses...here is chapter 12!!!!!_**

_**puppyluva: thanks for telling me the correct spelling of Arithmancy!!! **_

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Chapter 12 **

**Free Roaming Beasts and a Sleeping Beauty**

James's last class had just finished and he was currently heading to his and Lily's dorm. He was so tired of all his classes and couldn't wait for night to come. Tonight would be when Remus would turn into his werewolf form and Peter, Sirius, and James would roam the school grounds and have some fun for the first time this school year.

They were animagus, in which they could turn into an animal at will. James was a stag, Sirius a giant black dog, and Peter a rat. **(Peter the rat…How fitting, huh?)**

When the Marauders had first found out about Remus turning into a werewolf, they all decided to learn how to be animagi so that they could keep Remus company during his transformation.

James could recall the first time they all were able to turn into their animal form. It was very difficult to do, but luckily, they were able to successfully transform and spend time with Remus while he was a werewolf.

Soon after they learned what animals they would become when they transformed, James suggested that they all come up with nicknames that would correspond with their creature. Hence the names, Prongs, Padfoot, Wormtail, and Moony were formed. **(As if you all didn't know that :P)**

After James said the password to his and Lily's dorm, he went to his room. He then looked inside his closet to find a large wooden trunk. It was locked, so he took out a special key from around his neck, it was made of dragon bone and had the power to keep anyone out of his trunk. Using an incantation along with the key, James grabbed his invisibility cloak, and a folded up piece of parchment, then locked up the trunk once again.

The folded up parchment that James had didn't seem very extraordinary, but in reality it was. It was a map that he and the boys had made of Hogwarts. The parchment was charmed to show him exactly where all the secret passages were in the school **(a/n: it doesn't include the Head Boy and Girl Dormitory passage since it's only temporary and they just found it)**. It also showed where everyone was at the moment by little ink dots. The parchment was called the Marauder's Map.

With his cloak and blank piece of parchment in hand, James headed out of his room and went to the bookshelf in the common room; he pulled the book from the shelf, and said the password to leave his dorm through the new secret passage. Just as he was about to open the secret passage door, Lily came into the common room. Quickly, he shoved the silvery invisibility cloak and blank parchment into his robes to conceal them from her.

"What are you up to, Potter?" Lily asked suspiciously, setting her bag down on the mahogany table.

"Umm…just going out," he simply said.

"Did you already eat dinner?" she asked, getting out her books, a large roll of parchment, and some quills and ink.

"No, but I got to go now! Gonna visit the boys! Oh! And I'm in charge of checking the corridors tonight so don't wait up for me… Bye!" he said hurriedly before reaching for the secret door to leave the common room.

"Hmph! As if _I_ would wait up for _you_?! Have fun, Potter!" she called out as the door closed behind him.

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When James finally reached the door to Gryffindor common room, he placed an ear over the door. He listened to see if there was anyone one there, but thankfully everyone was at the Great Hall having dinner.

James finally opened the door. He looked around for Sirius and Peter, but they were nowhere to be found. Getting quite anxious, he decided to take out the Marauder's Map. After unfolding it he tapped it with his wand and whispered the magic words: _"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."_

Suddenly, ink spilled out from his wand, forming words on the piece of parchment, turning it into a map with little dots representing the people in the school and lines representing corridors and rooms. Luckily, James found Sirius and Peter's dots immediately. He could tell that they were going towards the Gryffindor common room so he quickly hid himself behind a large armchair. Once concealed, he took the map and uttered, _"Mischief managed", _making the map go back to its ordinary blank state.

Not long after, Sirius and Peter walk into the Gryffindor common room. To his pleasure, Peter decided to sit on the armchair that James was hiding behind. Just as Peter was trying to get comfortable, James grabbed him from behind the chair."AAAARRRRGGGGG!!!" screamed Peter as James got up. James looked down at the mousy boy and couldn't help but laugh. He didn't think that Peter screamed like a girl. Sirius joined in with James's laughter.

"James, why did you do that? You know I scare easily," said Peter, looking exceedingly upset at James.

"Oh, I'm sorry Wormtail," James chuckled. "I just couldn't help it."

"But you have to admit, that was the best thing I've seen all day!" Sirius said, still laughing. Once he finished his fit of laughter he looked up at James, "Alright, now that we're all here, let's go!"

"Ok, let's go then," James agreed just as excited as Sirius.

With that said, they left the Gryffindor Common Room and went out into the corridor. The portrait of the fat lady greeted them nicely as they walked around the corner to an empty corridor. Once checking that there is no one around on the map, Peter changed into his rat form as James took out his invisibility cloak to wrap it over him and Sirius. Sirius then grabbed Peter and placed him in his hand so that they could all walk together under the cloak.

Using the map, they made their way all the way down to the Great Hall. There were still a lot of people in the Great Hall so James knew that it would be difficult to get out the door undetected. Instead, they went to a portrait near the entrance hall and opened up a secret passage through there.

Finally out of Hogwarts, they went to the Whomping Willow. Instinctively, Sirius set Wormtail on the ground to press a knot on the roots of the tree. The tree suddenly went eerily still, letting James and Sirius make there way through the hidden hole within the roots, still wrapped under the invisibility cloak.

Since the boys had done this tons of times, it was almost second nature to them. When they finally reached the end of the narrow pathway, they entered a room where James and Sirius then turn into their animal form.

In their animal form, they went to a separate room where they found their werewolf friend, who was violently chewing up a couch. Upon seeing Remus in this state, James was reminded of a pet dog he once had that would chew up his father's shoes.

The thought soon went away when the werewolf sniffed the air. It growled for a moment then turned to look at James and the two other animals next to him. At that instant, the attitude of the werewolf seemed to change into a mixture of calmness and then excitement as the newly arrived animals gather around it. It wasn't long before they soon embarked on their night of fun.

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Lily yawned and looked around the empty common room of her dormitory. She found herself feeling quite alone as she finished up a 20-inch essay for Professor McGonagall. She had already completed most of her work when she decided to get up and stretch for a while before returning to it finish the rest. It was already half past midnight and she wondered when James would come back from his rounds of checking the corridors. It usually never took her this long to check the halls, but knowing James, he was probably doing something he wasn't supposed to.

Tiredly, she sighed and decided to sit at the windowsill to watch the stars. There was a nook at the window with a soft cushion that she could sit on. She soon settled into the nook, placing her back against the wall with her knees in her chest, and looked out the window.

It was a clear night with the full moon shining bright in all its glory. She looked at the starts for a moment, and then turned her attention to the grounds below. From where she was, she could see the tranquil lake. Next, Lily looked down towards the Forbidden Forest. She scanned the edge of forest sleepily. It wasn't long before she noticed a white animal looking up towards the school.

As Lily took another look at the animal, she recognized that it was a stag. A magnificent stag, from what she could tell. _Odd, I never knew there were stags in the forest,_ she thought quietly. Even at the distance where she was from, she could see how its antlers towered high above the ground, and how its coat shimmered beautifully in the moonlight. After being in such awe of this animal, she realized that it seemed to be looking right at the window she was in.

''That's silly," she whispered to herself, shaking her head. "It couldn't be." But she could have sworn that it was looking right at her. Before she could get another glance at the animal, a large black dog appeared and both beasts disappeared into the dense, dark forest.

Lily stayed looking out the window for a little while longer before convincing herself that it was time she finished the rest of her homework.

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James, in his animal form, was standing on the outer edge of the forest when he noticed something in one of the windows of the school. It seemed to be a person looking out of the window to the lake.

_I wonder if it's Lily_, thought James as he continued to keep an eye on the person looking out the window. James then noticed that the figure's attention went to the forest. Soon, he felt a sensation of being watched. Sure enough, the person was looking right in James's direction.

He stared back at the figure, noting that it had long red hair that seemed very familiar. He stayed looking at the redhead for a couple more seconds, still wondering if it was Lily. Before he could decipher if it was her or not, he heard a loud bark and Sirius showed up. Pushing his thoughts from his mind, James followed Sirius into the forest.

It was 2 o'clock in the morning when James snuck back into his dormitory. He was so exhausted, but happy that he finally got a chance to wander around Hogwarts like old times.

As James made his way through the common coom, he noticed that Lily had fallen asleep on the table where she had been doing her homework. He thought it was cute the way her head rested on an open book and the way her red hair was spread out on the table like a shinny, scarlet blanket. She looked very angelic as she slept soundly on the open book. But even in sleep he could still see the lively girl that constantly appeared in his mind.

After debating with himself on whether or not he should wake her up and tell her to go to bed, he decided to just take her there himself. James lookd at Lily keenly then gingerly picked her up; within that moment, she sleepily wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her head in his chest. He let out a loud breath of air, afraid that she would wake up and fall out of his arms. But she didn't wake up and she surprisingly stayed snuggled into his chest. He looked down at her in his arms, relishing in the fact that he was holding her and she wasn't making some attempt of hitting him or yelling at him to let her go. He smiled sweetly at her and then slowly began to walk towards her room.

James walked carefully towards Lily's room and it wasn't until he was about to step one foot into through the door when he thought better of it. Almost immediately he remembered a time when he tried to sneak into the girl's dormitory in his third year. Back then, the stairs collapsed into a long and winding slide and he landed in a mangled heap on the floor. Recalling that that room wouldn't let him in, he came to the conclusion that neither would this one.

Still, the thrill seeker that he is, James placed one foot inside Lily's room, despite what his conscience was telling him.

He waited for a moment. Then put in his other foot so that his whole body was on the other side of the door and waited a little while more.

To his surprise…

"Nothing happened," James whispered happily to empty room, almost wanting to do a little victory jig, but thought better of it since Lily was still in his arms.

Proud of himself for not being magically thrown out of Lily's room or something of that sort, he continued to gradually walk towards Lily's bed. Once there, he softly placed her on it, took off her shoes, and then tucked her in.

Looking at her fondly as she slept, he kissed her lightly on her forehead, whispered good night and then crept out of the room, closing the door behind him.

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**_awww, i love using fluff in my fics. i hope you all don't mind it too much. ok well come on boys and girls, send me reviews...i already have 50 some reviews...now send me some more!!!!_**


	13. The New Quidditch Captain

**_Wow, i can't believe that i'm already on chapter 13...and i still havent got to the action yet. lol. yeah well sorry for putting the story on hold. i have a whole bunch of band competitions coming up and my solos really suck. haha you music ppl might know what i mean. (OBOES ROCK!!!) (cough cough) i was some what dissapointed with how little reviews i recieved in the last chapter :( but i hope you all will enjoy this chap...yeah i thought this chap was interesting to write since i'm adding a new character. this person doesn't have a big role yet, but it's coming soon. ok well here is chapter 13!!!!_

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**Chapter 13. Plans for a Ball and the New Quidditch Captain**

The following morning, Lily awoke to find herself nicely tucked in her bed with her clothes still on from the day before. As she lay in bed, she thought for a moment, trying to figure out when she had gone to her bedroom. She couldn't remember, and logically decided that she had slept-walked last night. She had no idea that as she slept on the common room table, James had picked her up and taken her to her room.

She rested on her bed a while longer, pondering if she should get up already. She had woken up earlier than what she was use to, but for some reason she felt very energized, and eager to start the day. She soon came to the conclusion that she should get dressed and go to Professor Dumbledore to ask him about the Halloween Ball that she wanted to plan.

After taking a quick bath, she put on her robes and tied her hair back, letting strands of her scarlet red hair escape around her face. She took a glance at herself in her large vanity mirror and looked intently at her reflection.

To her, she seemed like some ordinary muggle girl, not much older than 16, yet she had already been 17 for more than a month. She hated the fact that she looked so young. She hated that she felt so ordinary compared to the other gorgeous girls of Hogwarts.

_Lily, you're so self conscience_, said a voice in the back of her head.

_No I'm not!_ She replied, grudgingly. She sighed, touching a strand of hair that caressed the curve of her face, looking critically at herself. Her eyes went to her lips, which were naturally very pink, then went up to her nose, which she thought was too small for her face; then to her eyes, her startling emerald green gems that were placed almost perfectly on her face.

She looked deep into her own eyes. She remembered once when she was still very little that her older sister Petunia had called her eyes ugly; saying that they reminded her of seaweed floating in a dirty ocean. Lily cried that day. Cried for having to be so different, and unaccepted by her own sister, even before she had found out that she was a witch.

Her eyes were the only things that she thought were pretty about her when she was young. She had never known anyone other than her mother to have such green eyes as hers, and she had been proud to have them. But that day made her feel so inadequate; so unworthy of being called pretty.

Now, as she looked at herself in that mirror, she couldn't help but get that awful tinge of feeling like the oddball. _How can anyone think I'm pretty?_ She wondered skeptically.

_Well James Potter certainly thinks you're pretty. Why don't you pay attention to him? He may have a point, _replied the voice in her head. _Don't start with that now! I don't have time for useless thoughts about Potter thinking pretty, _she thought, getting very upset with herself. _Fine, but you know I'm right,_ was the voice's only reply.

She shook her head to get the thoughts out of her. She had to stop talking to herself...she felt as if she might got crazy one of these days.

Lily sighed and stepped back from the mirror. She hadn't noticed how close her face was to it, nearly making her forehead touch the smooth surface, and noticing how the glass had fogged up from her breath. "This is as good as it's going to get," she mumbled, taking one last glance before she headed out into the common room, grabbed her bag and books then left to go see the Headmaster.

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Lily was nervous at first. Walking to the headmaster's office, she kept on repeating everything she was going to say to Dumbledore so that he would consider her proposal for the ball without a doubt. She finally reached the gargoyle that would lead her into the office, and whispered the password. Suddenly the stone statue leapt aside to reveal a spiral staircase.

The redhead climbed the steps and reached the door to Professor Dumbledore's office. She was about to knock on the door when she heard a loud booming voice speaking excitedly with the Headmaster.

"I dunno how to thank yeh, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the loud voice gratefully.

"There's no need to thank me. I have no doubt that you will strive to do your very best here at Hogwarts," said Dumbledore politely.

"Sure will, Professor! Thank yeh very much," said the man. All of a sudden, Lily heard loud footsteps and the door opened before her.

She was in a state of shock when a large grizzly-faced man met her at the door. Her shock shortly turned into delight when she recognized whom this person was.

"Lily Evans!" the giant of a man exclaimed in surprise.

"Rubeus Hagrid!" Lily said gleefully; she was immediately brought into a great big bear hug as Hagrid picked her up.

"Yeh sure have grown since I last saw yeh, Lily," he said as he put her down tenderly.

She blinked up at him, taking in his appearance before she spoke.

"And you have sure gotten scruffier," she replied.

Lily met Rebeus Hagrid in her first year of Hogwarts. He wasn't allowed to attended school anymore, but it was well-known that you could find Hagrid helping out on the school grounds. Sadly, Hagrid left Hogwarts for some reason during her third year. But now there he stood, taller then she could recall and looking very untidy with his new long hair and beard.

Lily was about to ask Hagrid what he was doing back at Hogwarts when Professor Dumbledore kindly invited her inside his office.

"Oh, hello Professor-" she said apologetically, "I was just so surprised to see Rebeus."

"It's quite alright, Lily. Now what brings you here on this fine morning?" asked the headmaster, his eyes showing a polite sparkle.

"Oh well, I'll leave yeh two to talk. See you later, Lily. And thanks again, Professor," Hagrid left the room, leaving Lily alone with the headmaster.

"Won't you please take a seat?" he asked, as he sat behind his desk. Lily complied and sat down. Once settled, Dumbledore spoke again.

"Now, tell me what's on your mind."

"Oh, well you see Professor, since a lot of us have been working really hard this past month, I was wondering, if…if maybe I could plan a Halloween Ball for the whole school," she said, trying not to rush her words.

"That sounds quite intriguing," responded the headmaster, showing a genuine interest. "And what would be included in this ball?"

"Ah, for the ball, I was thinking that it would be fun to have a masquerade party. I was also planning to have a disk jockey come to Hogwarts and play music. I really don't have everything set but I know my friends and I would be able to successfully plan this whole party."

"I see…A Halloween Masquerade Ball for everyone in this school…" said Dumbledore in thought. Lily looked at the headmaster with anticipation, praying that he would agree to the whole event. After a couple of seconds he finally gave Lily an answer.

"I see no reason why there shouldn't be such an event here at Hogwarts. Frankly, I feel this would be a splendid idea," Dumbledore said pleasantly.

In absolute joy, Lily thanked the old wizard and promised that this would be one of the best parties ever, at Hogwarts. After that, Lily left the room to inform her two best friends of the good news.

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"So he said it was alright for you to plan this ball?" Gwen asked excitedly during breakfast.

"Yes!" Lily practically shouted. "And to tell you the truth, I don't even think he even thought of refusing," she responded happily as she poured some hot porridge into her bowl.

"So what do we need to do, Lily? We'll help you with whatever we can," said Elizabeth intently.

"Well, first I think we should make flyers and announcements," Lily replied thoughtfully. "Or why not make it very formal and order invitations?"

"Yes, that sounds like a lovely idea," said Elizabeth approvingly.

"And what about the music? Will there be a band or something?" Gwen asked.

Hmm… I was thinking about hiring a disk jockey and not go through the hassle of having to get a band. And if we get a disk jockey then we could ask them to play both wizard _and_ muggle music," Lily suggested.

"Yeah, I like it, but I still wish there would be band as well," Gwen replied with disappointment. "And why do you keep calling it a 'disk jockey'? Why not just say D.J? It's much simpler."

"What's wrong with calling it a disk jockey?" asked Lily with a frown.

"I dunno, it just sounds weird—"

"What's this about a band and D.J?" asked Sirius, joining the group of girls for breakfast.

"Go away, Black! We're planning something here!" Lily hissed.

"Are you planning a party by any chance?" Sirius asked curiously. His almost shoulder length, raven black hair draped elegantly around his chiseled face…and for some reason he looked appealing at the moment.

"Hi Sirius," Gwen said suddenly, looking at Sirius oddly, batting her eyes.

"Hey Gwen," he replied with a sweet smile.

Lily blinked at them for a second; this was getting weird. She then remembered what she was about to say. "It's none of your business what we're planning," Lily hissed again.

"What are you all upset for? I was just asking," Sirius asked coolly, still looking at Gwen. "You know, if you need a band, James, Remus and I are in one. How 'bout you let us play for your little party?" Sirius suggested as he sat down to eat.

Lily looked at Gwen, whose eyes lit up at the offer Sirius had just given them. Lily only glared at her threateningly, making Gwen's brows scrunch up and her mouth pout sadly.

"No, I don't think so. Besides, I doubt that you all have any talent anyway," Lily replied rudely.

Sirius only shrugged. "Oh well, your loss then," he retorted indifferently, his attention was immedialy back on Gwen as he decided to take a seat next to her.

Just then, James walked in, looking very tired. He went to where Sirius and Lily were and sat right in between the two.

"Hey James! Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, mate?" Sirius greeted. Lily noticed a small grin that was on James and Sirius' face.

"No, I just did my corridor watching rounds last night," James lied.

"Awe, too bad," Sirius said sympathetically, giving a wink to his friend.

Lily didn't seem to notice it because she had now taken out a piece of parchment to write down all the things she needed to do to get ready for the Halloween Ball.

"What are you writing, Evans?" James asked curiously, leaning over Lily's shoulder to try and get a look at her paper. She immediately removed the parchment from his view.

"It's nothing that concerns you, Potter," she retorted hastily.

"Oh yeah, Evans is trying to plan a party or something," Sirius interjected with a smirk.

"I see. Are we invited?" James asked sweetly.

"You might be if you would just let us be," Liz said, getting quite upset that the boys were bothering them.

"Fine, fine," Sirius said. He stood up from the table to leave. "I'm finished eating anyway. Are you coming, James?"

"Yeah, sure," said James, barely taking his first sip from his cup of orange juice. He took a piece of toast with him and they both left with Sirius looking a little upset that Lily was being so rude.

"Thank god they left," Lily said with a sigh. The girls then continued with their planning.

It was still an hour before class when James and Sirius decided to go to the Quidditch field to ride on their broomsticks. They had gotten out their Turbo 200 Cleansweeps and were chasing after a Golden Snitch that James had 'borrowed' from the locker room.

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"Look! Look! It's by that pole over there!!" James shouted, pointing in the direction where he saw the golden object. 

Sirius had been closer to the snitch but he was higher up in the sky. He gave a quick salute to James to let him know that he had seen the object and then went into a nosedive toward the snitch. Sirius was about to hit the ground when he pulled up at the last minute, narrowly escaping a bone-breaking fall.

When Sirius looked up toward James, he put his hand up to show that he had caught the snitch.

"Well done, Padfoot!" James complemented. "But let the snitch go so that I can show you how it's _really_ done!!" he added conceitedly.

Sirius only snorted at his friend and released the snitch from his hand. The Golden Snitch hovered around Sirius's head before it immediately disappeared.

Once it disappeared, James shot up into the sky to circle around the field. In a few seconds, he spotted the flying object and went after it in a speedy chase. James zoomed across the field, made a loop and then went into a tailspin, catching the snitch in the end.

"Got it!" he yelled in triumph.

"YOU SHOW OFF!!" Sirius yelled back. The two boys laughed for a while as they returned to the ground.

It was ten minutes till class so they put their brooms away in the Quidditch lockers. They got out of the locker room when a lean, handsome looking boy came towards them.

"Hello there James Potter and Sirius Black!" the boy greeted politly. "What are you two boys up to?"

"Ah, nothing. Just wasting time," James said. He and Sirius shook the boy's hand. "How have you been, Gregory? 6th year going good for you?" Sirius asked.

Gregory Thomas (**a/n: no relation to Dean Thomas...i promise you**) was a year younger then the Marauders, but the boys had formed a great friendship with him over the past years. He was extremely smart and was in Gryffindor House with them. For the past three years he had been one of Gryffindor's chasers in the Quidditch team.

"Everything has been exceedingly good, if I may say so," he said with a large smile. "Ah, but I have an important issue to discuss with you, James. I was just informed by McGonagall that Quidditch practices start next week. Do you think you'll be able to show up to a meeting on Saturday morning?" asked Gregory, very professionally.

"I sure will. But who is captain this year? Did McGonagall tell you?" James asked curiously. Gregory's lips formed into a great, big smile before answering James's question. James noticed Gregory's reaction and instantly knew that Gregory himself was the captain for the team this school year.

Sure enough, James's predictions proved to be correct after the 6th year Gryffindor proclaimed his title as captain.

"Well kudos, Captain Thomas!" Sirius said heartily, patting Gregory roughly on the back.

"Yeah, good job. I'm sure you'll lead our team to victory for the 7th year in a row!" James smiled enthusiastically.

James himself had been a part of the team since his second year. He was a chaser just like Gregory, and a very good one to top it off.

"I hope that you'll be rejoining us this year. I doubt we'll be able to win without our star player on the team," Greg beamed, looking directly at James.

"Heh, you betcha I'll be there," James replied earnestly.

"Oh, Sirius, why don't you join this year? I've seen you play before and you'd make a great beater if you ask me,'' the boy commented, hoping that Sirius would consider being on the team.

"Ha ha," Sirius barked suddenly. "I'm not sure I can be on the team."

"Oh? May I ask why not?" Gregory questioned with a eyebrow raised.

"Ah, you see," James interrupted, "in our third year he was one of the beaters for the team, but during the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin game he got a little too rough on one of the opposite team members. And let's just say that McGonagall saw to it that he was severely punished," James ended with a grin.

"What? So did McGonagall ban you from it or something?" asked Gregory, astounded by the news.

"Yeah, basically," Sirius and James both replied nonchalantly.

"Whoa, umm well…never mind about that. I guess I better let you two lads go then. Class is about to start, I believe" Gregory said nervously as he checked his wizard watch.

"See you later, Greg!" James and Sirius said almost in unison. They walked back to the main building laughing, remembering the event of when Sirius had been banned from Quidditch.

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_**YAY! I'm done with that chapter. i debated with myself for a long time before deciding to put Quidditch in. there will be more about the sport in later chapters...and maybe a surprice or two. ok well please don't forget to review!! and see you next time!!!**_


	14. Quidditch Meeting or is it?

**_HEY!!!! I'M HERE!!! FINALLY UPDATING AFTER SOOO LONG...HAHA K WELL THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS EVERYONE!!! YOU ALL ARE AWESOME!!!! _**

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**Chapter 14. Quidditch Meeting…or is it?**

Saturday arrived surprisingly fast for James. He woke up early that morning to get ready for the Quidditch meeting with the team; however, when he was trying to find a pair of pants, he seemed to trip over everything in his path. To James's dismay, there was a painting of a landscape in his room that was currently occupied by a previous Head boy who started to laugh hysterically at James's humiliation.

James scowled at the picture, silencing the portrait of the boy. As the portrait left the painting in his room, James could have sworn that he called him a loser.

"Arh, its way too early to be laughed at by a bloody picture…" he moaned as he put on his newly acquired pants. Once dressed in his practice robes, he headed out to the field.

When James got to the Quidditch field, he was surprised to see so many people. He looked through the crowd of boys and girls hoping to find Greg or someone else that had been on the Quidditch team the year before.

"What's going on here?" he mumbled to himself. He noticed a line going towards the locker rooms so he followed it.

"Ah, James! There you are! We were wondering when you would arrive!!" said Gregory Thomas as James reached the beginning of the line.

"What's going on here? I thought we were only going to have a meeting?!" James asked. There was a 5th year Gryffindor girl writing down people's names at the front of the line.

"Didn't you hear the announcements or see the signs in the Gryffindor common room earlier this week?" Greg asked with a polite smile. "McGonagall had forgotten that a lot of the players from last year had graduated, so she assigned me to have try-outs! We need one Chaser, a Seeker, a Keeper, and a Beater," he said, counting all the players they needed with his fingers.

"Uh…well I don't live in Gryffindor common room anymore, don't you remember?" said James in annoyance. He didn't like not being informed about things that involved Quidditch.

"Hmm…oh well, at least you're here now. We're going to need you to help judge our contestants for the Chaser position," Greg said cheerily.

"Wha-? Now?!"

"Yes, yes, of course right now…" Greg paused for a moment, "or at least after we sign everybody up," he said after taking a look at the never-ending line of people waiting to sign up. "I'm not even sure all these people are in Gryffindor," he added shortly afterward, scratching his head.

"And who's going to judge for the other positions?" James asked, ignoring the captain's comment.

"That will be left to me judging for Seeker, Alexandria Spence for the Beater, and Clementine Grapestien for Keeper. Ah, but remember that you'll still have to keep an eye out for the others trying out on different positions because in the end we'll tally up votes to see who'll be on the team."

James nodded at Greg, approving of his choice for judges and his process for the try-outs. All these people that Greg had mentioned had been on the lineup in previous years, so James was confident they would pick the best people for their team.

"Everything alright then, James?" he asked not even pausing to let James answer, "Great! We'll start as soon as possible so don't leave or anything," Greg instructed in an almost stern voice.

"Yeah, sure. I'll just be flying around on my broom for a while. You wouldn't mind, now would you?" James asked, making his way inside the locker rooms to get his broom before Greg had any say in the matter.

"No, by all means, go practice," said the captain dismissively; he was now looking at the list the 5th year girl had been making.

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James flew around the field for a while, somewhat showing off his moves to all those who were trying out. He couldn't help it. He loved the sound of the people as they gasped and shouted as he performed acrobatic stunts. He was just about to get into his more impressive aerial tricks when a voice shouted up at him.

"Stop showing off, Potter! I could do better tricks than that!" said the voice playfully.

James looked down from the sky to see a long-haired, blonde person leaning casually on a broomstick. He flew down a little bit closer to the ground to get a better look at the person who had made the comment. He was about to challenge the person until he realized who it was.

It was Gwen, staring straight up at him with a small grin.

Giving out a laugh at her comment, James flew down, landed and went up to Gwen.

"What's this about you flying better than me?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a large smirk.

"You heard me. I could certainly fly better than you," she retorted smugly, one of her hands resting casually on her hip.

The messy haired boy only looked at her, almost ready to burst out laughing.

"You're funny Gwen. Never have I seen you fly. What makes you think you can even keep your balance up there during the game" he said mockingly. "Besides, what position are you gonna try out for anyway," he asked afterwards.

"You're a real git, you know?" she insulted; but a pretty smile played on her lips as she watched James eye her with incredulity. "Oh wait, of course you knew that already, Lily reminds you everyday, but that's beside the point. And for your information, I'm quite skilled at flying since I've been doing it for as long as I can remember," she said. "As for the position I'm trying out for, that's none of your business."

She quickly turned her back on him and walked up to the now disappearing line so that she could sign up. James only shook his head at her, and went back to flying.

"What do you say about these invitations, Liz?" Lily asked. Lily and Elizabeth were sitting near the lake, with their feet in the water, looking through party catalogs that Professor McGonagall had given them. In the distance, the giant squid squirted water at unsuspecting 1st and 2nd years.

Lily had a whole bunch of things to do, but only a few weeks to do it. It was the start of October and the days were beginning to get ever so chilly as the nights brought gusts of wind and chances of rain.

"Yes, they look perfect. But why not look at these as well?" Liz suggested, pointing to a picture with a different invitations. The catalog was a magic one, so every time the girls would point at a photo with their wands, it would pop out of the paper in a 3D image and rotate to let them get better look at it.

"Ah yes! That one's lovely!" Lily exclaimed in the end. "We'll use these for the ball. They're elegant and fun!"

Elizabeth looked proudly as Lily complemented on her choice, while splashing the water lightly with her toes. The first and second year students were now throwing rocks at the squid.

"Ok, so now what do we need to do? Have you already set a time?"

"Um…I was thinking that we should start it at 7p.m and then let the party last till midnight," the redhead pondered, chewing the end of her quill as she thought.

"I suppose that would be good. And what are you going to put on the invitations?"

"I was thinking that instead of making the ball a plain old formal one, why not tell everyone that they could wear formal muggle attire if they wished," Lily blushed. In all reality, she had hoped to have it more muggle-like because there was a dress her mother had owned and she hoped to wear it.

"Wow, that sounds interesting. What do you think you'll wear?" Liz asked curiously.

"Ah, I um…plan to wear an old dress my mum had worn when she was younger. She had been in a play and it was a beautiful dress that I've always admired," she sighed dreamily, thinking about the gorgeous gown.

"Oh that sounds wonderful. By the way you're planning this event, it almost sounds as if you want it to be like some fancy thing in those muggle fairy tales," Liz said lightly. She stayed quiet for a while and then said, "I like it. This is certainly going to be very fun."

"Heh, I guess you're right, it does kinda sound like a fairy tale ball," Lily smiled at her friend.

"Anyway, let's look through some other catalogs to find more things. I think we might even have to put some catalogs up for the people who don't have a mask and need to buy one…"Liz suggested once again.

"Yes, let's get to work! It seems as if you're on a roll of giving me ideas," Lily said happily. Liz smiled and grabbed another catalog. The squid was now throwing back the rocks to the 1st and 2nd year students, there was a loud BONK as one of them got hit on the head.

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The girls continued their search for other items until it was late in the afternoon. It had started to get too windy for them to keep all their papers together so they decided to make their way to the Great Hall.

Lily and Liz had just reached the door to go inside the school when they heard someone call out their names.

"Lily! Liz!" Lily turned to see Gwen running towards them.

She had a huge smile on her face as she ran up the steps to catch up to them.

"Where were you?!" Lily asked, her hands resting on her hips, looking at Gwen as if she was a child who had gotten lost at the mall.

"Liz! You didn't tell her?!!" Gwen asked with slight disappointment.

"Oh, sorry, Gwen. I forgot," Liz replied ashamed of her own forgetfulness.

"Aw, well that's alright. I think I'd want to tell her myself…Lily! Guess what!!!" Gwen shouted suddenly, catching Lily off guard, making her jump up slightly.

"What, Gwen?! Tell me!" shouted Lily impatiently, but still curious as to what her friend had to say. She hated guessing games.

"I tried out for the Quidditch team today!!!" said the blonde animatedly.

"Really? What happened?! DID YOU MAKE IT?!!" Lily asked in a rush. She then realized that she didn't know what position Gwen played. "What position did you try out for anyway?" she asked sheepishly, knowing that Gwen would be upset by such a question.

"_LILY!_ I can't believe you! Do you not know me at all?" said Gwen, a little hurt and outraged. Quidditch was one of Gwen's favorite past times, how could Lily forget such a thing?

"I'm sorry, Gwen. But really, how did it turn out? Did you make it or not?"

"Umm…well I dunno yet. They said they wouldn't give us the results until after dinner, tonight," said Gwen, absolutely ruining her best friends' excitement for Gwen.

"Wha-? Then what was all that shouting and running about?" Liz asked confusedly.

"I just wanted you guys to wait for me so that we could go to our dorms together," Gwen replied flatly. Lily shook her head disbelievingly.

"Alright then let's go inside already. I'm tired of being out here," Liz said in a bored manner before she pulled opened the door to the Great Hall.

"I am _so_ bloody tired!" said James, busting dramatically through the Gryffindor boy's dormitory. There, lounging comfortably on their beds were Sirius, Remus, and Peter. They had all been joking about something before James arrived. They all greeted James as he walked in.

"What's wrong, James?" Remus asked in a concerned way.

"Where were you all day?!" Sirius asked in a playfully stern tone. He was lying lazily on one of the beds with his head propped up on a pillow.

"I was judging for the Quidditch tryouts! It took _forever_!" replied the handsome messy haired boy.

"Tryouts? Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Greg kept bugging everybody about it every night this past week," Sirius replied, casually.

"What?! You knew about the tryouts and didn't tell me?!!" James was now looking at his friends incredulously.

"We thought you knew," said Remus calmly, sitting up on his bed.

"No! I didn't know," James spat out.

"Sorry, James," Remus said apologetically. "I guess we took it for granted that you had known that tryouts were today."

James shook his head. "Ah, its ok…I'm just upset that so many people tried out and most of them weren't even good," James sighed roughly. He plopped himself onto Remus's bed, making Remus move over to give James room.

"How many people were there?" Peter asked.

"Uh…about forty or so…"

"Forty?! That's more than the previous years put together!" said Sirius, his eyes wide with amazement.

"Yeah, I know. That's why we took so long…and there were people screwing up all over the place…it was not fun," James explained. He was puffing up Remus's pillow to be able to lean his head on it comfortably.

"So who tried out? Who did you all pick to be on the team?!" Sirius quickly asked.

James reflected on the tryouts, thinking of all the people that tried out and if any of them stood out in his mind at the moment. He soon remembered a couple of people and began to recall how the tryouts went.

"You see, Greg is the one who is going to decide the final list, but I guess I could mention some people that I thought did pretty well," James said slowly.

"Yes, yes! Tell us, James!" Peter shouted, almost bouncing up and down on his bed.

"Alright, well for Chaser I think that Baltazar Vicharelli has a good chance, and so does Ruby Macbeth, I think she was the strongest player today for the Chasers. There was also Gwen who tried out; she did pretty well, I think. Although, she can be very, _very _aggressive during the game and there's—"

"What?! Gwen tried out after all? How did she do?! WAS SHE GOOD?!!!" Sirius asked eagerly... a little too eager.

"Did she try out for the Chaser position?" asked Peter.

"Yeah she tried out, I was surprised too but once I saw her play— She blew everyone away," James said uninterested. "Oh and she didn't try out for the Chaser position—" James added.

"She's a Beater, I know! BUT HOW DID SHE DO?!!!!" Sirius said, almost screaming at James. James only looked at him, a frown placed upon his lips. How was it that Sirius knew that Gwen was trying out and didn't bother to inform James?

"She did great, I told you already," James replied, a confused look on his face.

"So Gwen did well at trying out for Beater…that's something new, huh, Sirius?" said Remus. He was glancing at Sirius with a small smirk. James was starting to get the feeling that something was going on here that he didn't know about. Nonetheless, he continued with his description of Gwen's tryout.

"That's correct. And she didn't just do well; she was bloody brilliant. Hitting the bludger at all the right times. When I think about it now, she was quite remarkable to tell you the truth. But I still don't know if Greg will let her in the team…she gets a slight too rowdy at times and at one point during the tryouts, I thought she was about to hit one of her own team players with her bat for not making an easy goal," James paused for a second and put a hand through his hair, the scene played in his head. "Heh, come to think of it, she kinda acts like you when _you_ play, Padfoot," James grinned widely at Sirius.

Sirius's face seemed to have turned a bright red, but it quickly went away when he threw a pillow at James's head. James laughed, though he was still curious about Sirius's peculiar behavior.

"Well, it sounds like she's really good. I have a sure feeling that she's going to be on the team," Remus commented.

James nodded. "I'm praying that Greg let's her in. It's been a long time since we had a good Beater like her."

"What do you think, Sirius? Do you think she'll make it?" Remus suddenly asked. He was now looking at Sirius very intently, as if he knew something about him that James didn't know, obviously.

"I… um…I think that she might make it, but what do I know?" Sirius shrugged carelessly, but his response seemed tense.

James eyed Sirius carefully. "Hey what's up with you, Padfoot? You look…pale." Sirius was hiding something…for sure. He could read it all over his face.

"Nothing's wrong. What are you talking about?" he retorted quickly. Sirius was now looking at Remus with wide eyes, his face going an even paler white; it seemed as if he was begging Remus for help to get James to drop the subject.

"Oh behave, Sirius! Just tell James! He won't do anything to you!" Remus finally burst out. Sirius's face only turned a ghostly white.

"Tell me what? What are you guys hiding from me?" James questioned anxiously. He was growing tired of this charade, he just wanted Sirius to hurry up and tell him what the hell was wrong so that he could go back to his dorm and take a shower and a nice long nap before dinner.

"Go on. Tell him, Sirius. I doubt he'll get mad," said Remus in a reassuring manner; Sirius had jumped off his bed to hide behind Remus, which seemed really dumb to James since Remus was sitting right next to him, making it easier for him to hit Sirius incase this was something that would really get him upset.

"Yeah, tell me."

Sirius looked at both Remus and James before he took a breath to speak.

"I…I…I—I helped Gwen out and practiced with her for the try-outs," he said incoherently, letting out a breath after he spoke.

"_Really?_" James asked; expecting to hear something much more shocking. Actually, he had suspected that Gwen had had some help from Sirius. She sure as hell played like him.

"_Well?_" Sirius asked expectantly. He was looking at James, still cowering behind Remus; this was an odd sight since it wasn't like Sirius to be cowering away from anyone, especially not from James. That was just unheard of.

"Well what?" James asked with a shrug.

"Well are you going to get after me?" he asked carefully.

James let out a laugh. How could Sirius think that he would be upset? He did a great job in training her. She was just what they needed for the team. In fact, James should have been hugging Sirius for what he'd done. But if Sirius was going to be acting like some frightened kitten, then James couldn't pass up this once in a life time chance to mess with Sirius's head. This was going to be fun, for James at least.

"Sirius, you're an idiot," said James sternly. Sirius raised his eye brows at the remark, as did Remus.

"James, I'm sorry. She just asked me to help her and I couldn't say no I lik-"

"Shut up, Sirius!" James interrupted, his voice seeming to get angry. Sirius really looked scared now; and he was actually hiding completely behind Remus. A smile appeared suddenly on James's lips, continuing to speak, "Shut up, Padfoot! She was great and it was all because of you. To tell you the truth I'm glad you helped her. She may just be the best beater we've had since…well, since you. So stop apologizing for nothing. And why would you think I'd get upset with you? Did I ever tell you not to help her or something?" James asked. Sirius's face seemed relieved, but he was still standing behind Remus.

"James, the reason why Sirius was all worried was because you _did_ tell him not to ever help anyone when it came to Quidditch," Remus informed, looking at James very seriously. James only looked back, a perplexed look on his face.

"Remus, when did I ever say that? Sirius is a great Quidditch player. I wouldn't say such a thing," he retorted in defense. Remus only laughed.

"I knew you would say that… don't you remember in our 4th year when we lost one game against Ravenclaw?" James shook his head before Remus continued. "Sirius had helped out Johnny Hooper and he was the reason why you all lost. And I quote: James Potter October 5th of our 4th year of Hogwarts: '_SIRIUS!_'" Remus shouted, imitating James's voice perfectly, "'_DON'T YOU EVER TRAIN ANYONE EVER AGAIN OR I'LL PERSONALLY CURSE YOU SO THAT YOU CAN NEVER PLAY QUIDDITCH AGAIN!!_' end quote." Remus finished, clearing his throat. James stared at him, recalling that day and how he was so upset…that was the only reason why he had said such a thing, but he would have never really cursed Sirius…not for that at least. And since when did Remus get so good at matching his voice?

"Oh, yeah, I remember now…" James finally said, pushing his messy black hair off his hazel eyes. "But, I was only playing at the time…Sirius, you did a good thing working with Gwen. I really hope she makes it on the team…really." James smiled at Sirius, who had stopped hiding behind Remus.

Sirius smiled his perfectly at James. James returned the gesture and they began to talk about the others that had tried out. It wasn't long before each of the boys got hungry and went down to the Great Hall for dinner.

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**_ALRIGHT WELL THAT WAS CHAPTER 14!!! BE SURE TO REVIEW AND THANKS A WHOLE BUNCH FOR YOUR TIME!!!! _**

**_Elie_**


	15. Quidditch Results & Unexpected Behavior

**HEY EVERYONE!!! wow, it's a miracle right? me updating in less than 2 weeks. or something like that. ok well i was in a good mood ( i got accepted to the university i wanted to go to) and i had this chapter ready so i decided to put it up for you awesome readers. ENJOY!!!**

**hermy permy: UPDATE FASTER!!! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S UP IN YOUR FIC!!! (p.s. i kinda borrowed an idea from you...don't worry though, i didn't copy it completly...just tweaked it a bit. hope you don't mind too much. it was just so funny. much love!!)**

**tm7: YOU'RE AWESOME!!! LOL.

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Chapter 15. Quidditch Results and Unexpected Behavior **

It was late in the Gryffindor common room, yet the room was loud and packed with students who were waiting anxiously for the results concerning the new Gryffindor Quidditich team members.

Lily was sitting in one of her favorite armchairs near the far end of the Gryffindor common room; a pillow was placed in her lap, along with some parchment and a Never-Ending Ink Quill so that she could finish her weekend homework. Liz was sitting on the floor, leaning her back against Lily's chair, reading a book as usual, while Gwen kept pacing back and forth in front of Lily.

Lily sighed. She was getting easily distracted from her work and it was annoying her that Gwen wouldn't sit down. After a minute or two of glancing at Gwen every five seconds, she finally set down her quill and looked up at the anxious blonde in front of her.

Through clenched teeth she shouted, "GWEN! WOULD YOU PLEASE STOP DOING THAT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD?!"

Gwen stopped in her tracks and turned to face the redhead. "Ah, I'm sorry, Lily. I just can't help it! I'm so bloody nervous about the results!!!" Gwen replied, suddenly falling to her knees and putting her head in her hands.

"Just relax a bit," said Liz from behind her large book, "I'm sure you'll do fine."

"I know I did great. But why do they have to make me wait?! I can't stand the anticipation!" Gwen whined through her hands.

Lily rolled her eyes. Gwen usually thought highly of herself, but sometimes Lily contemplated that one of these days those thoughts would get her dear friend in to trouble if she didn't watch who she was speaking with.

"Gwen, if you know that you were great and that you're going to make it, then quit your blubbering, sit on a chair, and wait for the results like a normal person," Lily said very firmly. Being strict with Gwen was necessary at times, or else she would continue with the drama, and Lily really didn't feel like having to deal with "_Gwen the Drama Queen"_ right now.

Gwen blinked at Lily for a couple of seconds and then gave her a pout of defeat. She then picked herself up off the floor, walked over to the large armchair next to Lily and sat there with her arms crossed in front of her chest, glaring at the redhead with a cold blue stare. It reminded Lily of a child who had just been denied ice cream.

Satisfied with herself, Lily picked up her quill and continued with her work. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Lily put her quill down again and looked at Gwen, who was still sulking.

Lily let out a deep breath. "Gwen, there's something that I've been meaning to ask you."

"What, Lily?" the blonde asked, her expression still the same.

"Who trained you for the try-outs?"

In that instant, the Gwen looked at Lily with a sly grin. "Sirius helped me," she answered. A slight blush crept upon her face, but her grin never faltered. Gwen had a story to tell, there was no doubt about it.

"_You asked him to help you?"_ Lily looked at her friend in astonishment. How did Gwen find the time to practice in the first place? And had she finally told Sirius Black how she felt about him? Lily didn't know yet, but she had reasons to guess that something very romantic had happened during those afternoons of Quidditch practice with Sirius.

"Lily, why do you sound so surprised? Of course I asked him to train me! He was one of the best beaters Gryffindor has seen since 1940!" Gwen said energetically."... then McGonagall banned him…but that's another story though."

"Oh, I dunno, it just caught me off guard, I suppose…_so_…how were your little practices with Mr. Sirius Black?" Lily asked; her voice low so as not to attract unwanted attention. "Did anything happen?"

Gwen laughed.

"What ever do you mean?" the blonde replied coyly. Playing dumb was her strong point, but she certainly was not stupid... far from it, in Lily's opinion.

"Oh, quit the games! What happened between you and Black during the training?!"

"Nothing…" she replied simply.

"_Nothing?_ Wow, you're really not a good liar, Gwenny," said Lily, eyeing her friend. "Now, come on, tell me the truth," Lily nudged Gwen with her elbow, but it wasn't until she saw the look on her friend's face when she realized that Gwen was actually telling the truth.

Lily's jaw dropped to the floor.

That certainly could not be true. Gwen and Sirius hadn't snogged yet? How could that be?! They were the players of the school. Gwen had to be pulled Lily's leg.

"She's serious, Lily," said Liz. She had laid the book down on her lap to pay more attention to the discussion.

Lily's eyes went to Gwen, who was blushing brightly. "We've had moments though…Awkward ones, but they were still moments nonetheless," she said; her voice almost went to a whisper.

"What kind of moments?" Lily pressed.

"Well, we've got a secret handshake, for one," said Gwen oddly, thinking about it for a while.

Lily rolled her eyes and sighed…she was really expecting something much juicer than that. "Oh my goodness, you can't really tell me that that's the only "moment" you two have had together!" Lily said, shaking her head.

Gwen nodded and then suddenly jumped up.

"Ah! There was also that time when he had his arms around me to "_show_" me the correct way to hold the bat…but then again, I kinda held it wrong on purpose to see if he would correct me….seemed to have worked pretty well." She laughed at her own cunningness. "And then there was that ti—"

"_Remus pushed me against the wall and snogged me senseless_…" Liz interrupted suddenly, her words almost ran all together at once. She paused for a second, and then added, "_while walking back from the library yesterday." _Liz then quickly picked up her book and flipped it open, not seeming to notice that she was holding it the wrong way.

The two other girls stared, wide eyed and stunned at Liz. This was going to be a very interesting story.

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James and the boys waited on the other side of the room for the results, relaxing on nice comfy armchairs near the fireplace. James lounged tiredly on his armchair; he was exhausted, but he really wanted to know who had made it on the team.

He glanced around Gryffindor common room, looking for a particular redhead. Within seconds he quickly spotted Lily in a corner of the room, along with Gwen and Liz, of course.

She was sitting with some parchment and a quill, finishing up weekend homework, he presumed. He watched as she wrote intensely on the parchment; every now and then glancing up to see Gwen pacing in front of her.

"Gwen looks really nervous," said James as he stretched out his arms above his head.

Sirius mumbled something incoherently, making James look at him.

"What was that mate?" James asked, though he too was still staring at the girls at the other end of the room.

Sirius was leaning back in his lounger, looking very cool and handsome as always. He drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair and kept bouncing his right leg up and down. To others, it might have looked as if Sirius was just relaxing without a care in the world, but James knew his friend's signs of anxiety when he saw it.

Sirius's gaze darted from one spot to the next: notice board to Lily then back to the notice board and again back to Lily. James was curious now, why was Sirius looking at his Lily? A twinge of anger rose in him and it was then that James realized Sirius was really staring at Gwen, noticing how Sirius's dark brown eyes darted back and forth, following the pretty blonde's movements.

A sigh of relief emitted from James's mouth; he then smirked. Sirius fancied Gwen….how could he have not figured it out sooner? **(A/N: James is clueless at times)**

"Sirius," said James.

Sirius didn't respond. He only stayed in his daze.

_"Sirius!"_ James called out again. This time Sirius looked at James with a blank expression.

"What?" he asked, looking a tad bit annoyed.

James smiled. "Hey mate, tell me about your training with Gwen. How did this come about? I rarely see you two talk and then now all of a sudden you're helping her train for Quidditch tryouts? Is there something else you're not telling me, Padfoot, ol' buddy?" James asked suspiciously with his smile still in place.

"What are you talking about? I just trained her—that was all—there was nothing else," said Sirius, his face very stern—which was something that caught James off guard. James eyed him, and Sirius's façade went away quickly.

"Alright, maybe there was a moment or two during those three nights of practice, but it was really nothing…." said Sirius. James noticed a small hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Oh come on, Padfoot. You can tell us all the perverted details…it's not like we haven't heard worse from you—we all know what you've done before...in the broom closets," James said suggestively, a smirk played on his lips as he moved his eyebrows up and down. Sirius only looked back at him with a frown.

James's smirk left and he immediately stopped the eyebrow movement. "You two haven't even kissed yet?" He asked with surprise.

Sirius nodded. "Nope, nothing…" the long-haired boy said with a frown. "I'm starting to think that she doesn't even like me—"

"Ah ha! So you do like her!" James said in triumph.

Sirius eyed James peculiarly. "Uh, well of course I like her….Prongs, I thought you knew all this? Moony, hadn't I told him that I liked Gwen?" Sirius asked, looking at Remus, who was occupied with a book from the Restricted Section.

"No, you haven't told James that you like Gwen," Remus replied, still reading his book.

"Really? Hmm, I thought I had," said Sirius, scratching his head.

"No, because you only found out this morning how much you fancy her," Remus added, his eyes still glued to the book.

"Oh ok, well, I like Gwen." Sirius shrugged.

"Jeez, Sirius, I dunno what to think…either, your life is going too fast for me to keep up or you're forgetting to tell me a whole lot of things about it…I guess it kinda sucks that I don't live in the Gryffindor dorms anymore," sighed James sadly. He was really losing touch with his best friends…that was completely unacceptable for being a member of the Marauders.

"I'm sorry, James…it just sucks to be you right now," Sirius replied, almost sympathetically, but not quite.

"Forget about it; now tell me, why haven't your moves worked on the fair Gwenivere? I thought you were the player of all players, the _Don Juan_ of Hogwarts, the Love Ma—"

"Ok, ok, I get it. Enough with the comparing for Merlin's sake…" Sirius sighed. "And I dunno why my moves haven't worked…it just feels _different _with her. She's a lot like me, so when we talk, we just connect and then all my smoothness goes away. I try to put the moves on her, but she doesn't react in a way that other girls do…_it's almost as if she's immune to my dashing charms!_" said Sirius frightfully.

"Mate, you're just being paranoid…I have a good feeling you do have an effect on her…she's just really good at hiding it."

"You think so?" Sirius asked with uncertainty.

"Padfoot, I know so…how could any girl resist the debonair Sirius Black?" James winked, making Sirius grin.

James paused for a moment to think, and then continued with the conversation. "Now tell me, there had to have been some point where the two of you almost kissed or held hands or _something_."

"Alright, well I guess things started even before the Quidditch training, to tell you the truth," said Sirius as he held his chin with his index finger and thumb; he looked like a hot model posing for _Witch Magazine_.

"Well, like what?" James asked anxiously.

"I almost held her hand a couple of times, and one time while we were in an empty classroom practicing spells I kissed her on the cheek." Sirius's face went placid as he remembered the events of that evening with Gwen.

James nodded. "Ok…anything else?"

Sirius was about to nod when his eyes lit up. "We have a secret handshake," he said proudly.

James didn't know if that was a new innuendo for something sexual or if it really meant that Sirius and Gwen had a secret handshake.

"A '_secret handshake'?_" James asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, a secret handshake…you know, when you shake someone's hand in a way you don't shake anyone else's…really James, you've got to keep up with me here," replied Sirius exasperatedly.

"_Sure_…so what else have you and Gwen done?"

"Uhh…I almost—"

"I pushed Elizabeth up against the wall yesterday, and kissed her," said Remus out of nowhere, not even bothering to lift his head up from his book.

James and Sirius's head shot up in Remus's direction. Their mouths hung open like fish caught on a hooks.

"_W-what did you just say, Moony?!_" James stuttered, looking at Remus in complete disbelief.

"You heard me…" Remus replied nonchalantly, his eyes never leaving the book, although James could tell he really wasn't reading it, just staring at the page blankly.

"We heard you, Moony. We're just wondering if you realized what you've just said," said Sirius, his eyes wide from the news.

Remus looked up from his book, a broad smile lit up his face, and it suddenly reminded James of those old muggle cartoons of the Big Bad Wolf and the toothy smile that it gives when its about to plan something bad.

"I know what I just said…"

"You actually—_you_ and _Liz_—_snogged_ before _me_ and _Gwen_?!" Sirius stammered, his eyes wide and confused. "How did this happen?! James and I are the ones with the smooth moves! When did you start getting the girls before us?!" he nearly shouted.

"I told you not to worry about my flirting technique, didn't I?" said Remus as he stared at Sirius calmly; his striking gray eyes glowed with a certain intensity…it was the kind of thing that usually only happens after his night with the full moon.

Then James remembered; it was only after the full moon that Remus wasn't quite himself. And it was during this time that you would see Remus act spontaneously, or a little reckless at the most. Yup, Remus was experiencing PFMS: Post Full Moon Syndrome. **(A/N: I kinda got that idea from hermy permy…hope you don't mind too much, hermy…and I did kinda change it up a bit, see:P please forgive me!!)**

"So, how did it happen?! Why didn't you tell us yesterday when you got back to the dorm?!" Sirius bombarded.

"I felt that it was none of your business, plus, I don't kiss and tell," he replied a little smugly.

"None of our business?! But we're your best friends! How could it be none of _our_ business?! This is your first make-out session! We need to know all the details!!! AND YOU KISSED AND TOLD US ABOUT IT ANYWAY! SO GIVE US THE DETAILS!!!" said Sirius, nearly falling out of his chair as he leaned closer to Remus.

"Who said this was the first time that I've snogged anyone?" Remus asked with raised eyebrows and a coy smirk.

James shook his head slowly, trying to take this entire information in. "I knew there was something that I was forgetting to do yesterday," he finally said gravely.

Both his friends turned curious faces to James.

Remus was the first to speak. "What did you forget to do, James?"

"I forgot not to let you wander around alone with your horny werewolf hormones raging!" James grinned widely. It was about time Remus started to get in on all the action. It was their 7th year. What better a great to start.

Remus gave James a stern look for a split second before he smiled.

"So now are you going to tell us what happened yesterday?!" asked Sirius hopefully.

"NO!"

James bugged. "Awe come on, Moony!"

The werewolf looked at his friends sternly, as if thinking weither or not he should tell them about his experience with Elizabeth. A minute or two passed like this, along with James and Sirius begging and whinning until finally Remus sighed and said, "Alright, be quiet. I guess I can tell you a little—"

In that instant a loud voice—sounding much like Gregory Thomas—announced that the results were up on the notice board.

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Almost simultaneously, people scrambled up from their seats and stormed across the room to the result board. The room was suddenly filled with an explotion of excited cheers and yells.

"Let me through! Let me through!" Gwen screamed as she pushed her way through the crowd.

Pushing her way through the crowd as well, Lily reached the front and stood next to Gwen, whose expression looked anything but thrilled.

"What's wrong, Gwenny? Did you make it?" Lily asked excitedly, but as her eyes grazed over to the paper on the wall she slowly got the feeling that everything wasn't as hoped.

Gwen turned to look at Lily; her light, blue eyes glistened with the hint of tears.

"M-my name isn't there," she whispered somberly.

In the distance, a certain someone shouted. It was Sirius, and he sounded very upset.

"She didn't make it?! How could she not make it? She was probably the best one there!"

Gwen turned toward Lily and fell into her arms to cry on her shoulder. Lily was caught off guard and nearly fell back by the blonde's abruptness. After wrapping her arms around Gwen, Lily instantly felt the tears soak her blouse as her friend wept silently on her shoulder.

"Oh Gwen, I'm so sorry," Lily mumbled soothingly. She looked out into the crowd around them to find that most of the people were leaving the crowd to join their perspective groups. Glancing around, she soon got the feeling that she was being watched and realized that James was looking right at her and Gwen.

She quickly looked away from the messy haired boy; she was still embracing Gwen, and patting her back soothingly. Her eyes roamed over to Sirius, who had fought his way out of the crowd and was now searching for something...or someone.

"_Where is that damned Gregory?!_" growled Sirius. "_He probably made a mistake with that list! And if he didn't then I'll have to hex his ass!!"_ Sirius's hands were in his robes, reaching for his wand. Instantly, Lily looked over to James, but as she turned to look at him he began to stride over to Sirius, his face set into a stern, un-James like way.

There was going to be trouble if James didn't do something soon. Sirius was not one to think too much on rationalizing a situation. He was more of a hex-now-ask-questions-later kind of guy.

"What are you doing, Padfoot?" she could hear James hiss as he reached Black.

Lily watched.

"_I'm going to have a little chat with your Quidditch Captain, Prongs. Have you seen him?"_ said Sirius through clenched teeth, his beautiful, raven-black hair fell gracefully on his face, but it still didn't hide his rage.

"What's wrong, gentlemen? Something not to your liking?" a voice asked very calmly. Lily recognized it as Greg, the new Quidditch captain. She had never spoken to him before, but he was supposedly one of the smartest boys in his year, and he sure wasn't bad to look at.

Sure enough the eye-catching, young 6th year appeared from behind a crowd of people whom he had been talking to.

"Like hell something's wrong, Greg! You know very well Gwen should have made it!!" said Sirius as he pointed his wand threateningly towards Greg. The Quidditch Captain looked back at the angered boy in puzzlement.

James shook his head and placed a hand on Sirius's wand arm, gently pushing it down.

Sirius shot James an angry glare, but James ignored it.

"You see, Greg, Sirius and I feel that you may have made a slight mistake on the results," said James in an almost hushed voice, but he seemed to have failed miserably since Lily could still hear him. "I thought most of us voted on Gwen being on the team?"

Greg looked at the two boys curiously. "What ever do you mean James? I assumed I had put her name up on the paper already," he replied, his perfect lips fell into a frown.

"No, you didn't put her name on there!" growled Sirius, pointing with his wand menacingly at the results across the room.

Greg looked questioningly at James, as if to ask what the hell Sirius's problem was.

James understood the look and replied, "Ignore him please, it's a long story."

Greg shrugged indifferently, and got back to business.

"So would you please take a look at the paper, because we are certain that you didn't put her name up," said James keenly.

Lily looked at James with wide eyes. She couldn't believe it. He was actually trying to get Greg to change the results, all for Gwen...

She kept on looking at him until he glanced over to her with confident eyes.

They held each other's gaze for a few seconds before she turned away, which was a good thing too since James, Sirius and Greg began to stride over to the results.

Lily looked at the three boys with anticipation as they drew closer to the board with the results until finally Greg walked up to the paper on the wall and gasped softly.

"Oh my goodness," Greg whispered as he turned quickly to Sirius and James apologetically. "I'm afraid you boys are quite correct. I seemed to have neglected to put Gwen's name on the results. And come to think of it, there isn't a name at all for the beater position."

Hearing the news, Gwen picked up her head from Lily's shoulder and turned her pretty sky-blue eyes to Gregory.

"W-what do you mean?" she asked shakily, trying not to stutter too much due to her crying.

"What I mean is that you made it and I'm sorry for making you cry. That was very horrible of me—please forgive my forgetfulness, Gwen," said the handsome 6th year boy warmly, his face was bright with a sincere smile. "Congratulations, you've made it to the team."

At that he took out his wand, turned to the paper on the wall and with a flick of his wrist, Gwen's name appeared on the paper, making it official that she had made it.

Gwen wiped her tear-streaked face; a smile slowly crept onto her lips as she walked closer to the results. Greg gave Gwen a pat on the back and a polite nod at Lily before going back to the group of 6th years he had been talking to.

For a good five minutes Gwen just stood there, staring avidly at the board, with her smile still plastered firmly on her face.

"So are you just going to stand there and smile at the results or are you going to thank me for making such a fuss?" said a smug Sirius, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest coolly.

Gwen turned quickly towards him, and stared at him oddly, but she soon strode over to give the Marauder a warm hug. Sirius looked at her strangely before his face lit up with a certain brightness as Gwen wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands rested lightly around her waist to complete the hug. Unfortunately for Sirius, it was over before it started because Gwen quickly let go of him, seeming to leave him standing there with a discontented look on his handsome face. Lily assumed that he was more used to the loose girls who always gave him what he wanted. Gwen was flirtatious, but she was hard to get…even by Marauder standards she was considered a "toughie" in the dating scene.

Lily looked at the couple. They seemed to be heading in the right direction of romance…or something close to it.

Lily's thoughts were interrupted with a small cough. "And don't forget about me, I was the one who did most of the reasonable talking, remember?" said James with a smile.

Gwen looked questioningly at James and then to Sirius. "He's right. He did do most of the talking," Sirius said, still looking rather disappointed that Gwen wasn't in his arms still. His arms hung loosely at his sides with his shoulders were hunched a bit.

Gwen nodded at Sirius and then walked up to James proudly. At first Lily thought she was about to give Potter a hug, but at the last moment Gwen extended her right hand to give him a grateful handshake.

"That was some swell performance you put out there…and I take back what I said earlier, you _can_ keep your balance on a broomstick," he grinned at her.

"Thanks, Potter…but you haven't seen nothing yet," was all she said with a grin on her face as well. She let go of his hand quickly to turn and run straight for Lily. Then the girls began to scream with joy.

Just then Liz and Remus arrived to congratulate Gwen.

Shortly after the excitement died down, and nearly everyone had gone up to their rooms, Gwen and Liz went off to bed—Gwen still chanting happily "I made it! I made it" as Liz ushered her up the stairs to their sleeping quarters.

Lily left Gryffindor common room with James. They walked quietly together through the dimly-lit passageway. Once reaching their own common room, James said a soft good night to her and headed to his room. Lily walked to her room as well; her hand was about to turn the knob before something unexpected came over her.

"Hey, Potter," she said softly, catching herself off guard by calling him in the first place. James must have been caught off guard too because he looked at her with a questioned look.

"Yes, Evans?" he asked, his hand holding onto his door knob too. His hazel eyes looked at her with interest, giving Lily a weird feeling as she held his intense gaze.

She gulped silently. Still wondering why she was going to do this.

"Thanks...for helping Gwen," she said, opening the door to her room but not going inside just yet.

"It was nothing," he replied, giving her a little grin as he too opened his door slightly. "She deserved to be on the team," he added.

Lily grinned at him and then walked into her room, closing the door behind her softly.

And that was the first time Lily Marie Evans had ever truly thanked James Harry Potter for anything.

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**_Wooo!!! this was fun to write. i hope it was fun to read. well next chapter might take long again since i haven't even started it. i have the ideas but it's just been getting harder and harder for me to put it all together. anyway, just please bare with me. The Halloween ball is coming up soon so get ready for the party!!! lol well have a good one and don't forget to review!!!_**

**_Elie_**


	16. Weekend Homework

**_Hey, sorry for the reallly reallllly long wait. i have a whole bunch of excuses in mind but i'd rather not bore you with all that. now, i know a lot of people have been telling me to hurry up with the romance, but you can't really rush these things...at least that's what i think. slowly but surely they'll get together, but not yet. my whole story mostly deals with all the elements of life heh, at least that's what i'm trying to accomplish. anyway... ummm...this chapter was sort of difficult for me since i really didn't know how to make it so that it didn't seem to hurried. i think i managed to do the job but i'm not exactly sure. ah well once you guys and girls read it you'll have to let me know if it came out ok. alright well have fun!_**

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"I hate weekend homework," sighed James. It was late morning and he was in the common room, sitting on the mahogany table with a long roll of parchment and a quill in hand. He had been putting off all of his Transfiguration and Potions essays this whole weekend and now he could hear Professor McGonagall's voice in his head, scolding him for not doing the work earlier. At the moment, he was writing intensely about ten major potions for healing a redcap bite and was so absorbed in his work that he didn't even notice a small creak from across the room as Lily opened her door.

"What are you doing, Potter?" Lily asked spontaneously, coming up from behind him.

Not bothering to stop writing or pick up his head to look at her he said, "Morning, Evans. Just doing some homework."

He heard her small footsteps come closer. Soon they stopped and he could now feel her hovering above him; he had the urge to look up but didn't think it would be polite if his face ended up right in her chest…which on second thought didn't sound like such a bad idea after all.

He continued to write his essay, and Lily continued to read over his shoulder. He was about to ask her what she was up to when he was interrupted.

"You're doing it wrong," she said.

Like a whip, James's face shot up from the table to look at her. He was about to reply angrily to her comment but that was before his eyes caught sight of what she was wearing.

Behind him, only a few inches away stood Lily, clad in a light pink tank top and a pair of faded jeans that sat perfectly on her hips. The tank top and jeans fit snuggly over her shapely body, showing of those enticing curves that he so loved.

His eyes quickly roamed over her body and in a matter of seconds he began to feel his face get hot and flushed.

"You should wear stuff like that more often," he mumbled under his breath.

Lily looked down at him, her face in slight puzzlement.

"What did you say, Potter?" she asked, her voice getting that edge that it usually got when she was getting annoyed of him. Her arms were now crossed over her chest, causing her breasts to push up a bit, showing off more of a cleavage than before.

This was beginning to get bad. If she continued to stand in that pose then he was probably going to have to take a cold shower soon.

_Be cool James. Think of Quidditch, dead puppies, bad breath. Ew, bad breath. _He thought desperately, trying to get all the blood from rushing to his nether regions.

"Oh, ah, I said you should help me with my homework if you know it then," he replied smartly, getting a hold of himself.

She sniggered and rolled her eyes then suddenly held out her right hand in front of him. "Hand it over."

James looked at her curiously with raised eyebrows. "Pardon me?"

Placing her left hand on her hip she said very seriously, "You heard me, Potter. Hand over your paper."

He eyed her, but obediently gave her the essay and sat back against the chair.

For a couple of minutes he watched as she read. Her face was set with a determined expression and then finally she glanced up at him from behind the parchment. "Do you mind if I…"she started, finishing her sentence with a little gesture with her hand signifying that she wanted to write on his paper.

"Sure, by all means," he said, crossing his arms in front of him, now eyeing her even more peculiarly. _Lily is going to actually help with my homework. All of hell must be frozen over right now._ He thought with amusement.

Swiftly, Lily pulled a chair out from under the table to sit next to him and reached over to grab the quill that was lying by his hand. Her hand accidentally brushed his and for a moment he got a rush as their skin touched for that brief second. James looked at her, wondering if she might have reacted the same way, but unfortunately she seemed set on his paper. Without delay, she dipped the tip of the quill in the ink bottle and then went back to the parchment in front of her and began to make corrections.

James watched her with curious wonder. What had gotten into Lily to make her want to help him with his work? Had someone placed a Cheering Charm on her or something, because this couldn't actually be happening! Nonetheless, this was a great opportunity for him to start a conversation with her. Regrettably, his mind was completely blank as to what to talk about.

For what seemed like an eternity, James watched as Lily scratched out and added words all over his essay. He watched how she seemed to immerse herself into what she was doing and then suddenly she looked up at him with a stern glance.

"Could you stop staring, please? I can't think when you're looking at me like I have a sign on my face," she said crossly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare," he said lamely. Lily let out a long, labored sigh and went back to scratching out things on his paper.

"So, um, what's it like living in a muggle home?" he asked abruptly, trying to get the awkward silence out of the way.

"Well, it's very muggle, Potter. What else am I supposed to say? My family can't do magic, so there's really nothing special about it," she answered as she continued to write.

"There must be _something_ interesting about it," he said, half wishing he hadn't asked her out her muggle life. "I would find it interesting…" he muttered.

"If you'd find it interesting then why not go live with a muggle and find out yourself," she retorted.

"Is that an offer?" James suddenly asked, not realizing what he'd just said until it was too late.

"Like hell it isn't, Potter. Can't you just grow up?" she snapped; now glaring him.

James stayed silent for a brief moment, thinking how stupid he was for letting his mouth run off without him. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to upset you. It was just a behavioral instinct…I didn't mean any mischief, Lily," he responded with apology, actually catching himself off guard by using her first name.

She stopped writing for a few seconds, but didn't look up at him and then continued to write.

"It's fine…I guess I shouldn't have just dismissed your question in the beginning. But truly, there really isn't anything impressing about being a muggle. You must have an idea of how it goes. Everything is basically done by yourself without the flick of a wand or the use of a spell. It's just so…so, boring, really…" she let her sentence trail off, as if thinking about her own words.

"Well then if there isn't anything special about living with muggles, then tell me about your own family. Do you have any siblings or some crazed cousin? Because you know, I just so happen to have many crazed relatives," James said, trying to lighten up the mood.

Lily was quiet for a couple of seconds before answering his question.

"To start off, I must say I have wonderful parents who love me unconditionally and I do happen to have an older sister," her expression suddenly turned dark at the mention of her sister, "but she basically thinks I'm a…ah, forget it. Let me just get back to finishing up the last part of your essay."

James didn't know what to say. Lily was about to open up to him about her family, but it saddened him to see how her face turned into a frown when she mentioned her sister. Surly her sister couldn't be that bad…at least she even had an older sibling. "I wish I had a sister or brother," he said with remorse.

"Hmph, no you don't," she replied harshly.

"Why not?"

"Just believe me. You wouldn't want one."

"So if you had a choice, you would rather be an only child?"

"If it would mean that I would stop getting picked on then, yes, I would say I would like to be an only child."

"You get picked on?" he asked; his eyebrows scrunched up at knowing that the feisty Lily Evans was getting picked on at home by her older sister.

_That explains her tough exterior._ James thought. He was really interested now…not that he wasn't before.

Suddenly, Lily looked up. Her bright green eyes stared into his, and for a moment it seemed as if she was about to break down and reveal something about her past but it quickly went away. "There. It's finished," she said a little too quickly. She really seemed uncomfortable at the moment. "Now remember that you should probably look through your book just incase I forgot something, but that's basically it. Here's your quill," she said, handing it over to him, "I suggest you start writing now so that you don't waste the rest of a pretty day like this one turned out to be," she said, quickly rising from her seat and pushing the chair under the table. "You know today just might be the last warm day before fall comes," she added awkwardly.

"No, I didn't know that. What were you planning to do today?" he asked, hoping to find the courage to ask her if she would like to hang out with him later. Unfortunately, his courage was nowhere to be found. He just couldn't understand how he was acting so unlike himself at the moment. Usually he would be able to ask her out any day, but today...it just wouldn't come out.

"I was planning to go with Gwen and Liz down to the lake and continue our planning," she said with not much care.

"Oh, planning for what?" James asked carefully. He could tell Lily really wasn't keen on having this little chat with him, but at least she wasn't just blowing him off."The Halloween Ball."

"Well, if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask, alright Evans? I am the Head boy you know, and as Head boy and girl we should, um, help each other out and such." James didn't know where he was going with this but he hoped that he was getting his point across. "And thanks…for helping me with my homework," he added, looking at her with his soft hazel eyes.

Now it was she that was looking at him peculiarly. Then her lips formed into an uncertain smile as she said, "I'll remember that, Potter. And don't mention it."

After one last glance, she picked up her satchel from the table and hurried out of the common room, leaving James wondering if this had all been some weird dream.

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**_ah, and so that's the start of their odd friendship...or relationship...which ever. now gimme some feedback people!!! thanks for reading so far and i'll be back sooner than last time...and that's a promise!!! laters!_**

**_Elie_**

**_p.s. thanks to Dani for editing the chapter! love ya girl!!!! and stop using my real name on the reviews you send me!!!!! grrrr! lol : _**


	17. First Names

**_Ahhh!!! I'm so terribly sorry for this horribly long wait!!! I just start college this semester so it's been really hard to find the time to complete any of my stories!! Plus I had a bad bout of Writer's Block. Which really sucked since I couldn't think of anything to write for the longest time. (7 months to be exact, eek! I know that's really bad) Anyway, the dreadful disease is hopefully gone, and now I can continue with this story. Hope it's not too bad!!_**

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**Chapter 17. First Names **

"Ah Lily, there you are," Liz shouted with a smile as Lily crossed through the grassy area near the lake. There was a cool breeze that swept throughout the grounds as the sun shined nicely overhead. "Gwen and I thought you had forgotten about the planning. Were you asleep?"

Lily sat beside Gwen and said, "No, I was just helping Potter with an essay. What have you two been up to?"

"Whoa, hold the phone!" Gwen gasped. "Did you just say that you were helping James Potter with his essay?!" She asked exaggeratedly.

After a short pause, Lily replied nonchalantly, "Yes, that's correct." She then looked up at her friends to notice the strange expressions on their faces. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Innocently, her friends replied, but Lily knew they had something in their mind that they wanted to tell her.

"Tell me the truth," she said firmly.

"Do you really want my opinion on this, Lily?" asked the intellectual brunette skeptically. "Because it may not be what you want to hear."

"Oh, just spit it out!"

"All right, my opinion is that this is the start of something…and that's all I'm saying."

"What do you mean by '_the start of_ _something_'?" Lily asked with raised eyebrows.

"I mean just that. Now don't ask me anymore because we need to plan for this Ball and you know how much I dislike the sun," she said stubbornly.

"Fine," said Lily, "be that way, but if you're thinking that this is starting off to be some sort of romance epic with Potter and I then you are mistaken, because that will never, _ever_ happen in a _million_ years."

At the end of the speech Gwen and Elizabeth burst out laughing.

"What?! Why are you two laughing for goodness sake?" the redhead asked, getting very frustrated with her companions.

"Forget it, Lily. Let's just start," Gwen said, still giggling.

With a stern glance—stern enough to make McGonagall proud— Lily grabbed a piece of parchment from Liz and began scribbling down more items that they needed for their party.

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Four days had passed since Lily and James spoke on that early Sunday morning. It was late at night and James was entering the common room of his dorm, sneaking in carefully and making sure he was still well hidden under his Invisibility Cloak. He had been out with the Marauders, wandering around the grounds— as was their monthly routine with Remus. He yawned tiredly, stepping into the room and found that he was not alone. In the corner of the large mahogany table sat Lily, a large stack of letters were on both sides of her and as he watched she flicked her wand over the letter in her hand and immediately a name appeared, she then set it down and picked up another letter to the right of her, checking a long list of names before doing the exact same thing as before. It seemed it was a never ending process, and by the looks of it, Lily was worn out. Her head was bobbing as if almost drifting to sleep and a couple of times she yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes.

James wondered how long she had been doing this tedious work, and why her friends weren't staying up late to help her.

Suddenly a thought came to mind, and quietly and swiftly he slipped into his room, slid off the Cloak and threw it aside, closing the door behind him to join Lily at the table.

At the sound of the door closing Lily turned to look at the new arrival, giving him a weary smile as she set down her wand and begin to massage her own fingers.

"Oh, I didn't you know you were in you're room this whole time. What are you doing up so late?" she asked, stretching out on her chair.

"I could ask you the same thing. Is that for the ball?" he asked as he placed a hand on the back of her chair to look over her shoulder at the mass of letters on the table.

"Yes, and I still have two-hundred more to go and then I have to—"

"You have two-hundred more to do?!" James asked in amazement.

"Yeah, but I didn't do them all by myself. Gwen and Liz were helping me earlier, but they just left about half and hour ago," she said, finishing with a long yawn, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Anyway, I think I should try and finish up tonight. I would like to have them sent out by tomorrow morning—"

"Well why don't I help you?"

James' question seemed to have startled Lily a bit and with wide eyes she began to refuse his offer.

"No, no, it's quite alright, Potter. I think I should be done in only an hour or so and then I can finish studying for tomorrow's potions test. Don't trouble yourself with the invitations," she said hurriedly, picking up her wand and the list of names to continue.

But James ignored her and took a seat beside her. He then gently took the list of names from her hand and reached over to take a blank letter to start the cycle all over again. For a few seconds James could see from the corner of his eye that Lily hadn't moved and was looking at him, befuddled.

"You know, you can go and study for that potions test you were talking about while I finish this up for you," he said, trying hard to hide his smirk.

Lily stayed still for a few more seconds before James turned to her and gave her a quizzical look.

"Well?"

"Oh, um, right, let me get my book," she said awkwardly before getting up from her chair. "I'll be right back."

James shook his head ardently at Lily as she left the room, and then resumed with the letters. When she came back, she was holding her bag and book, and settled down on the opposite side of the table to face James. He absent-mindedly glanced up at her from behind the list of names. She had already opened up her book and was leaning on her elbow to read up on a chapter. Her lips moved soundlessly as she read to herself.

The silence in the room was comfortable and almost mind-easing. Minutes passed like this until Lily spoke.

"I, uh, really appreciate you doing this for me, Potter. You don't kno—"

"_Lily_, could you do me a favor and _please_ stop calling me _Potter_. I have a name you know, and we can hardly say we're enemies still," said James matter-of-factly and with raised eye-brows.

For a few seconds Lily blinked at James with a puzzled and very surprised look upon her tired face.

"I um, I suppose you're right in that we're not enemies, so I guess it would be fine to call each other by our first names, Pott—I mean, James," she said, stumbling a bit with her words.

"Good, I'm glad that you agree, or how else will we be able to get closer to each other," he said, adding the last part rather quickly.

For a split second Lily eyed him suspiciously, but in the end ignored his comment. James even thought that for an even shorter second Lily smirked but that thought was gone in an instant.

They soon fell into that content and peaceful silence again, each doing their own work.

The hours now passed and by the time James knew it he was down to his last letter and name. It was a very simple job to do but very boring. As he magically wrote the name of the last person and set it down on the large stack beside him, he called out Lily's name.

"Hey, I'm done," he said, followed by a rather large yawn. He waited for a second for her to answer but no reply came. There were large stacks of letters in front of him so he leaned to the left to see what she was doing.

Surprisingly Lily was fast asleep. Her face was almost smashed into the book and he could hear her steady breathing. He let out a chuckle. So this was what she called studying.

Getting out of his seat, he walked over to her and gently shook her shoulder. She moaned sleepily but did not wake. He tried again, but to no avail. She was dead asleep. Repeating what he had done a month earlier, he picked her up and tucked her into bed, then went back to the stacks of letters to decide what to do with them. Ultimately, he came up with a conclusion and went off to his room, quite happy that he was able to help Lily out.

* * *

**_Ok so there it was. I really hope it wasn't a total disappointment and if it was, I promise it will never happen again...hehe. ok well thanks so much for putting up with the wait and the next chapter should be out really soon!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
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